Dumplings boiled for at least 2 hours.
Some dumplings are triangle shaped, but these are rectangular.
The rectangular ones can be cut using the strings they were tied with.
Savory dumplings cut with a fork. Contrast with the clean lines below when dumplilngs are cut with a string.
Sweet rice dumplings with red bean paste, cut using string.
Dried bamboo leaves have to be soaked in boiling water to soften them before use.
Rice dumplings are eaten traditionally eaten once a year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. It is to celebrate a festival called 端午节 which commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom during the Warring States period . Celebrations include dragon boat racing.
The dumplings are glutinous rice filled with either sweet red beans or savory meat with mushrooms, salted egg yolks and mung beans wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled for a few hours. I remember my mom used to make hundreds of them and they will be given as gifts to neighbors, friends and relatives. Of course we will get our fair share back from them, resulting in a wide variety of dumplings for everyone. My mom used to tie the dumplings by the dozens on a long bamboo stick hung across two chairs or tables. Boiling hundreds of dumplings was quite a task and huge empty metal oil containers were used.
Method for Savory Dumplings:
Boil a large pot of water and put in the dried bamboo leaves. Boil leaves for 10 min until soft and remove, keep the water for boiling dumplings.
Soak glutinous rice in water for an hour.
Drain rice and season with dark soy, light soy, some sugar and oil.
(Use more light soy since dumplings will be boiled in water for a long time and will lose some saltiness. Alternatively, you can salt the water instead.)
Filling Ingredients:
fatty pork cut into chunks and seasoned with dark and light soy sauce, some sugar and sesame oil
shitake mushrooms, sliced and seasoned with light soy and sugar
yellow mung beans
roasted chestnuts (these can now be bought shelled and cooked and in a bag)
salted egg yolks (these can now be bought with just the yolks vacuum packed in a bag)
boiled quail eggs (optional)
five spice powder (optional)
Put rice on leaves, add fillings, cover with rice and wrap with strings into pyramid or rectangular shapes. Boil dumplings for 2 hours if water covers all dumplings. If water in pot is only half full, boil 3-4 hours, shifting top dumplings to the bottom after 1-2 hours.
For the red bean paste recipe, see here Red Bean Paste Filling.
Method for Savory Dumplings:
Boil a large pot of water and put in the dried bamboo leaves. Boil leaves for 10 min until soft and remove, keep the water for boiling dumplings.
Soak glutinous rice in water for an hour.
Drain rice and season with dark soy, light soy, some sugar and oil.
(Use more light soy since dumplings will be boiled in water for a long time and will lose some saltiness. Alternatively, you can salt the water instead.)
Filling Ingredients:
fatty pork cut into chunks and seasoned with dark and light soy sauce, some sugar and sesame oil
shitake mushrooms, sliced and seasoned with light soy and sugar
yellow mung beans
roasted chestnuts (these can now be bought shelled and cooked and in a bag)
salted egg yolks (these can now be bought with just the yolks vacuum packed in a bag)
boiled quail eggs (optional)
five spice powder (optional)
Put rice on leaves, add fillings, cover with rice and wrap with strings into pyramid or rectangular shapes. Boil dumplings for 2 hours if water covers all dumplings. If water in pot is only half full, boil 3-4 hours, shifting top dumplings to the bottom after 1-2 hours.
For the red bean paste recipe, see here Red Bean Paste Filling.
