Sticky Rice Dumplings In Bamboo Leaves 粽子 (Best Zonzi Recipe) "Chinese Tamales"l

Sticky Rice Dumpling In Bamboo Leaves 粽子 Zonzi is a delicious snack during Dragon Boat Festival every year. Sweet rice, also known as glutinous rice, is packed into bamboo leaves and then filled with tasty ingredients such as pork belly, chicken, red beans, duck eggs and Chinese sausage. More sweet rice is packed into the top of the bamboo leaves. The bamboo leaves are specially folded and held together with string. The sticky rice dumplings are then boiled in a big pot. The result- a delicious combination of flavours stuffed into a chunk of sweet rice. Sticky Rice Dumpling is popular during Dragon Boat Festival in the month of June. Sometimes called "Chinese Tamales". The recipe is below:

Sticky Rice Dumplings In Bamboo Leaves

Recipe makes 10 to 12 dumplings

2 lbs. sweet rice (glutinous rice)
10 to 12 bamboo leaves
4 Chinese sausages
12 tablespoons Chinese peanuts
12 tablespoons red beans
3 duck eggs
6 oz. pork belly
6 oz. sliced chicken
1/2 cup vinegar in a pot of water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Soak bamboo leaves in cold water. Soak for 1 day or more, up to 7 days. Rinse and use fresh water everyday leaves are soaked. On the day of making dumplings, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup vinegar and boil bamboo leaves for 15 minutes. Rinse bamboo leaves in cold water. Shake off bamboo leaves and put aside on a tray.

Rinse sweet rice 3 to 4 times in cold water. Strain rice and put into a pot. Add salt and cooking oil and stir well.

Wash Chinese peanuts and wash red beans. Soak overnight if you like. Slice Chinese sausage into 1 inch pieces. Cut duck eggs into small pieces, about 8 pieces per egg. Cut pork belly into small pieces. Cut or slice chicken into small pieces. You can add other ingredients if you like, such as dried shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, dried scallop, etc.

Take 2 bamboo leaves and bend in the middle to form a cup. Add 2 tablespoons sweet rice to the bottom of the bamboo leaves. Add ingredients, such as 1 piece Chinese sausage, 1 tablespoon Chinese peanuts, 1 tablespoon red beans, 1 or 2 piece duck egg, 1 or 2 piece pork belly and 1 or 2 piece sliced chicken. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons of sweet rice to cover the ingredients. »Make a fold of the bamboo leaves to close one side. Make another fold on the other side to close off the bamboo leaves. Make the last fold from the top to the bottom to fully enclose the bamboo leaves. Take a piece of string and loop around the side of the bamboo leaves to secure. Without cutting the string, loop the string length wise to secure the bamboo leaves. Tie the string to secure the whole dumpling. Finish doing the same for all 10 to 12 dumplings.

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Put in the sticky rice dumplings, making sure the dumplings are completely submerged in water. Cover with a lid and boil for 4 hours at low to medium heat. At the half way mark, around 2 hours, take out the dumplings from the top and put in the bottom of the pot. The dumplings from the bottom will now be at the top. Top with water and cover with lid. Continue to boil the dumplings for the final 2 hours. Top up with as required.

Dumplings can be eaten hot or cold. Just peel back the leaves. Serve the dumplings on a plate or in a bowl. Add some light soy sauce or your favourite sauce, such as chili sauce or oyster flavoured sauce. Enjoy!