Zongzi: Bamboo Sticky Rice

Method6 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Plan for a large batch over one or two days. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight and prepare the wrapping leaves. On cooking day, rinse, briefly soak and season the remaining fillings, assemble the parcels, then boil them continuously for 3 hours. Prepare food-safe cotton cooking twine and a pot large enough to keep the parcels submerged. The ingredient supplies can leave extras; parcel count and individual portion size depend on wrapping.

2. 2

   Step 2: Cut the 1 lb pork belly into roughly 1-inch pieces. Mix the pork marinade’s 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp five-spice powder, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp chicken bouillon and 1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine. Add the pork and mix 60–90 seconds. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at 4°C/40°F or below for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

   Uses 1 lb pork belly · 1 tsp salt for pork marinade · 1/2 tsp five-spice powder · 1 tbsp light soy sauce · 1 tsp chicken bouillon · 1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine

3. 3

   Step 3: Soak the wrapping leaves in cold water 30–60 minutes until pliable; hold them submerged with a clean small water-filled bowl if needed. Put leaves in a large pot with fresh cold water covering them, cover and bring to a boil on high, then lower to medium and boil 15–20 minutes. Do not plunge the dry leaves directly into pre-boiled water. Wash each side of every leaf with a clean sponge. Keep prepared leaves in clean water until wrapping; if preparing overnight, refrigerate them submerged.

   Uses 80 bamboo leaves for wrapping (not eaten) · Water for soaking, boiling and washing wrapping leaves, as needed

4. 4

   Step 4: Separately rinse the 2 lb sticky rice, 1 lb peeled split mung beans, 12 oz peanuts, 2 oz dried shrimp and 15 dried shiitake mushrooms three times in fresh water. Soak each about 30 minutes, then drain thoroughly; avoid prolonging rice and bean soaking. Cut the 2 Chinese sausages diagonally into 1/2-inch slices, halve large shrimp, cut softened mushrooms into thirds and halve the 10 salted egg yolks. Small shrimp may remain whole; continue soaking any mushroom pieces that are still firm until hydrated. Season all drained rice with its separate 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp olive oil, mixing 60–90 seconds. Season the drained mung beans with their own 1 tsp salt, mixing 60–90 seconds. Keep meat/egg fillings chilled until assembling.

   Uses 2 lb glutinous sticky rice · 1 lb dried peeled split mung beans · 12 oz peanuts · 2 oz large dried shrimp · 15 pieces dried shiitake mushroom · 2 pieces Chinese sausage · 10 pieces salted egg yolk · 1 1/2 tsp salt for rice

5. 5

   Step 5: For each parcel, overlap a large and small prepared bamboo leaf shiny-side up with their pointed/rounded ends facing opposite ways and staggered about 1 inch. Fold them in half, then make another fold about 1 inch along the bottom edge to form a pocket; patch cracks with a spare leaf or replace cracked leaves. Layer 2 tbsp seasoned soaked rice, 1 tbsp seasoned mung beans, one marinated pork piece, one sausage slice, one halved-yolk piece, two prepared shrimp pieces, two mushroom pieces and a portion of the prepared peanuts. No measured per-parcel peanut dose is specified: use enough to fit without overfilling. Top with 1 tbsp mung beans and 2 tbsp rice, spreading layers evenly. Wrap a third leaf around the pocket high enough to enclose it, fold sides inward and extra leaf ends down, then secure widthwise and lengthwise with food-safe cotton twine and a firm double knot; trim excess. Repeat with the prepared supplies. Keep raw-filled parcels chilled while waiting to cook. Promptly refrigerate or freeze unused pork, sausage, yolks and other food supplies; cook any spare raw pork/sausage/yolk filling fully before eating. Reserve unused clean wrapping leaves.

   Uses Prepared wrapping leaves, about 3 per parcel plus repairs as needed · Seasoned soaked rice, 4 tbsp per parcel · Seasoned mung beans, 2 tbsp per parcel · Marinated pork belly, one piece per parcel · Sliced Chinese sausage, one slice per parcel · Halved salted yolks, one half-yolk per parcel · Prepared shrimp, two pieces per parcel · Prepared mushroom thirds, two pieces per parcel

6. 6

   Step 6: Place the wrapped raw-filled parcels in a large pot and add cold water to fully submerge them. Cover, bring to a boil on high, then lower to medium and maintain a steady covered boil for 3 hours. Throughout cooking, check the water level about every 30 minutes and add boiling water as needed so every parcel remains submerged. At 3 hours, check a representative parcel: rice, beans and peanuts must be tender, and the center containing pork, sausage and salted yolk must be fully cooked and reach at least 71°C/160°F. Continue cooking if needed. Drain, cut off and remove every piece of twine, unwrap and discard the leaves, and serve the cooked filling.

   Covered boil: check water level every 30 minutes · 180 minUses Wrapped raw-filled parcels · Cold water sufficient to submerge all parcels · Boiling water to keep parcels submerged during cooking, as needed