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The Chinese celebrate Dragon Boat Festival on May 30 this year. In the lunar calendar, the festival occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month, so the festival is also commonly called the Double Fifth.
On this special day, people eat zongzi, sticky rice with meat and other fillings wrapped in bamboo leaves, to commemorate the life and death of famous poet Qu Yuan. After learning his kingdom had been conquered, he drowned himself in the river as an act of patriotism and sadness.
People admired Qu Yuan’a devotion to so much that they made zongzi and tossed it into the river in order to prevent fish from eating his body. Although tossing zongzi into rivers is no longer common, people still make and eat them during the Dragon Boat Festival.
Zongzi has different fillings depending on the region in China. Glutinous rice and filling are wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. Wrapping zongzi quickly and neatly is a art that has been passed down over generations in many Chinese families.
Allow me show you my version of this traditional Chinese food.
Video by Charles Chen
Ingredients (Makes 6 zongzi)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves of roughly crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup chicken stock
2 star anise (optional, or Chinese five spice)
12 large, dried bamboo leaves (2 for each zongzi)
Thick long strings to bind leaves
1 lb long/short grain sticky rice (or any other rice you like)
1 lb pork belly, sliced into small cubes
3 links of dried sausage
15 small dried shiitake mushrooms (or any mushroom you like)
10 dried water chestnuts
Thinly chopped spring onions (optional)
For the filling
Preparing the leaves
Wrapping zongzi:
Notes:
1. Chinese groceries should carry most ingredients.
2. Zongzi freeze well. Wrap any unfinished zongzi in plastic. To reheat, thaw, and without removing the bamboo leaves, steam (best option), or microwave directly from freezer.
3. Before microwaving, poke a very small hole in the wrapping and pour in 1/4 teaspoon of water in to help prevent the zongzi from drying out.
Now that you have a general idea of how to make zongzi, try it at home! It’s fun to make, and even more enjoyable to eat. You can also try different fillings, or create your own version. Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
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