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Zhongzi – Glutinous rice pyramids wrapped in bamboo leaves 粽子

June 22, 2012 in Uncategorized

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I love my folks and visiting them always includes many foodie highlights. This visit up, my mama taught me how to make zhongzi, also known as rice pyramids, Chinese tamales, glutinous rice cakes and glutinous rice tamales.

Zhongzi is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival 端午節) period, which falls on the 5th of the 5th on the lunar calendar. This festival commemorates the poet Qu Yuan 屈原. I remember this story well from my Chinese classes and storybooks and it’s one of those stories all Asians should know. This year 2012, it falls on the 23rd June.

“Qu Yuan (c. 340 BCE – 278 BCE) was a patriotic nobleman who served in court in the state of Chu 楚国, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty 战国时代. However, after resisting the alliance with the corrupt state of Quin, Qu Yuan was banished.  While living in exile, Qu Yuan spent his time writing poetry, becoming one of the most well-known Chinese poets throughout history. Sadly, 28 years later, the state of Chu was attacked and dominated by the state of Quin. After Qu Yuan heard the devastating news, he drowned himself in the Milo River 汨罗江 on the 5th of the 5th in 278 BCE.
 
The locals, who admired his patriotism, made glutinous rice pyramids wrapped in bamboo leaves and threw them into the Milo River, in hopes that the fish in the river would eat the zhongzi and leave Qu Yuan’s body’s alone. The locals then searched for the body in boats and thus, the dragon boat race became a tradition to mark the occasion.”
 

Zhongzi flavours and fillings vary from city to city and country to country. My family is from Tainan, which is south of Taiwan – the ingredients that my mama prepares are more on the savoury side and also, adapted for my family’s taste buds (I secretly add more pickled duck egg yolk and shiitake mushrooms to the ones I make). This dish is made with glutinous rice, which is also known as sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, mochi rice, biroin chal and pearl rice. Even though it’s called glutinous rice, like all rice types, it is completely gluten-free.

Makes 10

Ingredients:

To prepare the zhongzi requires quite a bit of time, as all the ingredients for the filling needs to be cooked before being encased in bamboo leaves and rice. For a vegetarian version, add more mushrooms and veto the pork.

  • 5 cups glutinous rice (soaked in warm water)
  • 20 bamboo leaves (soaked in warm water)
  • 1 tbsp Shallots mix (purchasable in Chinese stores)
  • Oil to fry shallots and to add to rice
  • 10 shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimp
  • 1 cup peanuts with husk (boiled, but intact)
  • 2 strips of cooked pork rashers or pork belly (slice into 10 pieces)
  • ½ cup soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 10 strings

Method: (To see method in step-by-step pictures, click here to the original post)

  • Add a tbsp of oil to the rice and water, this will prevent your zhongzi from sticking to the bamboo leaves at the end.
  • Cut the mushrooms into halves and make sure to have already soaked them if they were dry.
  • Fry up the shallots and when it becomes golden brown with some oil, add the shrimp into the frying pan for another few minutes.
  • Separately, fry the pork belly till golden brown then add the soya sauce and sugar till caramelised.
  • This is the tricky part (see steps). Place two bamboo leaves, with the shiny side facing upwards, on top of each other, opposite ways. Fold it 4/5ths of the way to the right, with the right end on the inside and the left holding it on the outside.
  • Drop in a few peanuts, then press it down gently with a tbsp of rice.
  • Add the filling in – 2 mushroom halves, a yolk, shallots and shrimp, and pork.
  • Fill it to just under the brim with rice, making sure there are no air spaces in between.
  • Fold the leaves over the top, pressing the rice down.
  • Steam for 1 hour and serve.
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by Butterfingers

Sautéed sliced Lamb and Chinese Spinach in Chinese BBQ Sauce 羊肉燴飯

April 23, 2012 in Uncategorized

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For the past few days, waking up has been more difficult than usual with winter creeping up on us, and I think back about my most fond food memories. My ultimate favourite winter dish is my papa’s Sauteed sliced Lamb and Chinese Spinach in Chinese BBQ Sauce with rice dish. When my papa used to make it, this belly-warming BBQ lamb and Chinese spinach swallows the whole house in its heavenly fragrant scent of fried shallots (which comes from the Chinese BBQ sauce).

Bull Head Chinese BBQ sauce 沙茶酱 (sacha jiang), also known as Chinese Satay, is one of the top ingredients to have in your kitchen if you’re mad about cooking Chinese or Taiwanese cooking. This savoury and thick BBQ sauce contains ingredients like soybean oil, garlic, spice, shallots, sesame, coconuts powder, dried shrimp and chilli powder. This unique flavour is often mixed with soya sauce to make a marinade or sauce. Just the other night, I had oolong noodles with soya and Chinese BBQ sauce. There are a few options you can buy including original, spicy and vegetarian, and in South Africa I’ve seen the original and vegetarian.

For this dish, you’ll need this sauce and Chinese spinach or hollow stemmed vegetable - kong xin tsai (空心菜) (which you can buy from most Chinese supermarkets). You can also order this dish in most Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants.

Ingredients:

Marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours

  • 1/2 kg lamb (less fatty)
  • 2.5 Tbsp soya sauce
  • 3 tsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 Cup oil (only add after refrigeration)

To cook

  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 chilli*
  • 250g of Chinese/Water spinach
  • 1 Tbsp sunflower/canola oil
  • 125 ml Bull Head Chinese BBQ sauce
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 Tsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp Maizena (corn flour)
  • 2 Cups water

Method:

  • Slice the lamb into small thin slices and marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes. (my papa usually leaves it in for 2-3 hours, the longer the time, the more tender the meat)
  • Prep the vegetable by washing and chopping it into thumb length pieces.
  • Add 1/2 Cup of oil to the marinaded lamb after refrigeration (this helps separate the lamb slices once cooked)
  • Heat the 1 Tbsp of oil in a large frying pan on high heat.
  • Add and fry the garlic until lightly browned, then add the marinaded lamb and stir-fry for 2 minutes. *You can also add the chilli.
  • Add  the chopped vegetables and Bull Head Chinese BBQ sauce and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
  • Mix cool water and Maizena together in a container, then pour the milky combination into the stew.
  • Let it boil for a minute or two until it thickens.

Suggestions:

Serve with rice, or in a Toasted Coffin Loaf.

Originally posted on Butterfingers

 

 

 

 

 

 

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