Zongzi

What to Put on the Table With Zongzi

• Chilli oil
• Strong tea
• Eaten cold the next day

Making Zongzi, Step by Step

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1. Soak the glutinous rice in cold water 4 hours, then drain it well.

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2. Soak the bamboo leaves in hot water 2 hours, then simmer them 10 minutes, rinse each one and trim the hard stems.

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3. Marinate the pork with its soy sauces, wine, sugar, five-spice and white pepper, covered, in the fridge for 2 hours.

   Mark done Start 2 hr timer

4. Toss the drained rice with its soy sauces, oil and salt until evenly coloured.

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5. Overlap two leaves, fold them into a tight cone with no gap at the point.

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6. Spoon in rice, then a piece of pork, an egg yolk, a mushroom and a few shrimp, then more rice to fill.

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7. Fold the leaf over the top, wrap the tail round and tie firmly with string — tight enough to compress, loose enough to expand.

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8. Repeat to make about 20 parcels.

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9. Lower them into a large pot of boiling water, weight them down with a plate, and simmer 4 hours, topping up with boiling water.

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10. Lift them out, drain, and let them stand 15 minutes before untying.

    Mark done

Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Notes From the Method

No gap at the point of the cone. That is where leaks start.

Tie tight enough to compress, loose enough to expand.

Four hours. Undercooked glutinous rice has a chalky core.

Keeping What's Left

Refrigerated for 5 days or frozen 3 months. Re-boil 20 minutes.

Zongzi: Your Questions Answered

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.