These aren't exactly dumplings, but they are either boiled or steamed for the final preparation. I found that boiling fared better than steaming did. For my first batch, I steamed (for an hour) and cooked (for an hour) because the rice wasn't cooked after an hour of steaming. And, while I have only experienced making in a group setting, there is a reason why few people actually make these on their own for personal consumption. This is a multi-prep process that takes hours and a lot of patience. I couldn't quite get the dumpling to conform to the traditional triangular bundle shape, so these look a lot like they were wrapped by someone who has no knowledge of how corn tamales are wrapped. The rice used is called glutinous rice, though it's also packaged as sweet white rice.
The history of these dumplings has evolved over the centuries and evoke a positive or neutral connotation, depending on which story you're told. They are typically eaten as a festival food for the Dragon Boat Festival that is usually held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month and it looks like Portland's dragon boat races are in September. Reference recipes included: Saveur, Asian Dumpling Tips, and various sites with video instruction on how to wrap these darn things. It'll take a lot more practice to fold these the right way.
Day before
soak bamboo leaves in a sink basin or large tub of warm water
soak glutinous rice in water
Ingredients
1 lb boneless country pork rib, cut into 1/2" x 1" slices
1/2 c. dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and cut in to thin strips
3-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 star anise
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. shaoxing rice wine
2 1/2 c. uncooked glutinous rice
2 stalks green onion, sliced into 1" pieces
small roasted chestnuts, shelled and rehydrated if using dried
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
bamboo leaves, rehydrated and pliable (need at least two per bundle)
kitchen string for tying dumpling bundles
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, wash rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Stir 1/2 c. cold water into the rice and put the bowl in the fridge. Let this sit for 8 hours or overnight.
2. In a small bowl, soak shitake mushrooms in warm water to rehydrate. Slice mushrooms into thin strips and set aside.
3. In a small lidded pot, if using dried chestnuts, add chestnuts to put and cover with water. Bring the pot up to a boil for 10 minutes then turn off the heat. Let the chestnuts soak for an hour.
4. In a separate bowl, combine pork, soy sauce, rice wine, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, star anise, salt, pepper, and five-spice powder. Mix pork in so that the marinade is combined. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
5. In a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the pork and mushrooms, add about 2 tbsp cooking oil and the green onion. Stir until the onion has turned a vibrant green color and the oil is fragrant with the onion. Remove onion from pan and set aside in a small bowl.
Next, add the pork and stir fry briefly. Add the remainder of the ingredients (minus the star anise) to the pan and let it simmer for about an hour. Depending on how comfortable you are with transporting a food like this between places. I opted to cook the pork before packaging it into the dumpling. Some recipes for zongzi don't require cooking the meat before, and others do. When the pork is tender and cooked, drain off marinade and separate the pork from the mushrooms.
You could also fry the mushrooms and the pork separately; but alas, I was lazy and fried it all together.
Wrapping
I don't have any insight for wrapping techniques, so I'll refer you to the aforementioned reference links. What I do know, is that the spine side of the bamboo leaf faces down and you put a layer of rice, then your more substantive ingredients (some pork, some mushrooms, few slices of green onion, and a small chestnut), then another layer of rice, and close it up so that the rice doesn't escape in the cooking process.
Cooking
Pack dumplings (as many as you want to eat; 1-2 dumplings per person is an adequate serving size) into a large heavy pot and add enough water so that there is 1/2" above the dumplings. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Simmer zongzi over low-medium heat for 1-2 hours. Check the pot to make sure that there is enough water. Drain and serve.
Storage
The boiled zongzi can be soaked in water and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Freeze uncooked zongzi in a freezer bag; keeps for several months.
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| Bamboo leaves soaking in the sink |
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| Completed, but uncooked zongzi |
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| Inside a cooked zongzi |
