Making Zongzi 粽子 for Dragon Boat Festival | Mum’s Sticky Rice Dumpling Recipe!

It’s Dragon Boat Festival! My Singaporean mum shares two zongzi recipes: Nyonya-style Chicken & Blue Rice 3:25 and Vegan Coconut Rice, Bean & Chestnut 5:34 (RECIPES BELOW).

We also talk about the dark history behind why sticky rice dumplings 1:03. Mum demonstrates how to prep the bamboo leaves 2:36 and wrap the dumplings 6:19 so you can try making these yourself at home. And we flashback to last year when I competed in a Dragon Boat race in China 10:16.

#zongzi #recipe #chinesefood

MUM’S ZONGZI RECIPES

BAMBOO LEAF PREPARATION:
50 dried bamboo leaves (makes 24 dumplings)
- The day before wrapping, boil the stack of bamboo leaves in a deep pot (or fold into a wok) for 5 mins. Ensure they are completely submerged in the water. Leave in water to soak overnight at room temperature.
- The next day just before wrapping, drain and dry the leaves. Make sure they are stacked so the glossy side is facing up and the side with the ridge is facing down.

STRING PREPARATION:
18m of brown string or roasting twine (makes 24 dumplings)
- Cut 12 x 1.5cm-long pieces. Holding 6 strings in a bunch, fold once and tie a looped knot at the folded end. You should end up with a loop at one end (to hook onto a kitchen hook or oven knob), and 12 loose strings at the other end (for tying dumplings).

NYONYA-STYLE BLUE RICE DUMPLINGS:
(makes 24 dumplings)
Ingredients:
650g glutinous rice
100g coconut powder
Salt (see amounts below)
Vegetable oil (amounts below)
20 dried blue butterfly pea flowers or 2 drops of blue food colouring
1 kg hand diced chicken thigh or chicken mince
1-2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp light soy
1 tbsp dark sweet soy (or Karamel Masakan)
1 tsp white pepper
3 tbsp finely diced shallots or onion
1 tbsp finely diced garlic
2 tbsp grated galangal
150g finely chopped wintermelon
2-3 pandan leaves (fresh or frozen) cut into 24 pieces (3cmx3cm)
50 bamboo leaves (instructions above)
18m of string (instructions above)

Day Before:
- Prep leaves and string (instructions above)
- Soak dried blue flowers in 1/3 cup of boiling water and leave overnight.
Marinate the diced chicken in 3 tsp salt, and the white pepper, coriander powder, light and dark soy, and leave overnight in the fridge.

Day of Wrapping:
- Soak glutinous rice for 1-2 hours then leave to drain dry in sieve for 10 mins
- Place 1/3 of the rice in a small bowl and 2/3 of the rice in a larger bowl.
- Pour the blue liquid from the blue flowers (or 2 drops of blue food colouring) into the bowl with 1/3 of the rice, add 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil, mix and set aside.
- For the larger bowl with 2/3 of the rice, add 1 tbsp of salt, 100g coconut powder and 2 tbsp of oil. Mix and set aside.
- Heat 3 tbsp oil and stir fry the garlic and shallots until brown. Add galangal and the pre-marinated chicken meat and continue to stir with high heat for 3-5 mins. Finally add the diced rock melon, stir through, and remove from heat.

Wrapping (full instructions in video): Make a cone with two leaves. Scoop in blue rice, cooked chicken meat, white rice, and lastly a piece of pandan leaf. Close into a pyramid and tie with string.

Boiling & Storage instructions below.

VEGAN CHESTNUT, BEAN & COCONUT RICE DUMPLINGS
(makes 24 dumplings)
Ingredients:
400g glutinous rice
500g dried black eyed peas
1 tbsp salt
100g dried coconut powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
24 chestnuts (fresh, or dried and soaked overnight)
2-3 pandan leaves (fresh or frozen) cut into 24 pieces (3cmx3cm)
50 bamboo leaves (preparation instructions above)
18m of string (preparation instructions above)

Day Before:
Prep bamboo leaves and string (see instructions above)

Day of Wrapping:
- Soak the beans and glutinous rice together in water for 1-2 hours. Drain dry over a sieve for 10 mins.
- Place the rice and beans into a large bowl and mix in the salt, coconut powder and lastly vegetable oil. Set aside.

Wrapping (full instructions in video): Make a cone with two leaves. Scoop in rice/bean mixture, one chestnut, more rice/bean mixture, and lastly one piece of pandan leaf. Close into a pyramid and tie with string.

BOILING & STORAGE:
- Use a large deep pot. Fill half way with water and bring to boil. Submerge the wrapped dumplings in the boiling water. Add more boiling water to ensure dumplings are covered. Boil for roughly 2.5 hours. Every hour lift out the dumplings, shake, and place back into the water to ensure even cooking. Remove from boiling water and leave to cool. Cut string and peel off bamboo leaf and pandan leaf before eating.
- Best eaten ASAP. Otherwise cool them, leave in bamboo leaves, and refrigerate for a few days. Boil for 5 mins to re heat. For longer storage, they can be frozen and boiled for 12 mins to reheat.

#chinesefood

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MIXED UP is a series of vlogs and interviews about Chinese culture and mixed race experience, created by wasian actor Yulan Jack (fka Stephanie Jack). http://www.yulanjack.com/