Bamboo-wrapped Chicken and Glutinous Rice (Zong-zi)

Name: Bamboo-wrapped Chicken and Glutinous Rice (Zong-zi)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked glutinous rice (1½ cups washed glutinous rice cooked in 2 cups water); 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; 5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes, stalks discarded, finely chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped; 12 bamboo leaves (or lotus leaves), soaked in cold water then blanched in boiling water; 4 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 4 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped; 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger; 3 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1½ oz dried baby shrimp, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes; pinch of ground white pepper; 2 pinches of Chinese five-spice powder; 1¾ oz toasted cashew nuts; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 1 large skinless chicken breast, cut into even-sized chunks; 3 tablespoons peanut oil

Preparation info

Makes
6

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
50 min

Appears in

China Modern

By Ching-He Huang

Published 2006

About

Zong-zi is traditionally eaten on Duan Wu Jie, the Dragon Boat Festival to mark the fifth day of the fifth lunar calendar in 277 bc. The poet Chu Yuan was loved and greatly respected by the people of China. Many mourned his death by throwing cooked rice wrapped in bamboo leaves (known as zong-zi), into the river so that the fish would not feed on his corpse. On this memorable occasion, dragon boat races are held and zong-zi is eaten. Traditionally there are both sweet and s

Ingredients

Asia
China
Main course
Snack
Spicy

Ingredients

Method