Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 24 to 36 dried bamboo leaves
- 24 2 ft (60 cm) pieces of kitchen twine
- ***
- Zongzi filling (soak the mushrooms and mung beans the day before):
- 12 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in very warm water (not boiling) for an hour or two until soft, stems snipped off with scissors and halved (reserve 2 Tbsp. of soaking liquid for the pork marinade)
- 1/4 cup split mung beans (peeled), soaked overnight
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. fully-drained solids from top-quality XO sauce - if your XO sauce is very dry, increase to 3 Tbsp. (this is a TFD highly-optional addition, omit for classic recipe)
- 8 salted duck egg yolks (2/3 will be used whole per zongzi, with the remaining 1/3 crumbled over XO sauce solids)
- 1/4 cup vacuum-packed whole chestnuts, diced
- 1/4 cup washed, dried and minced Sichuan preserved vegetable (TFD highly-optional addition, omit for classic recipe but TFD loves it)
- 1/4 cup dried scallops, soaked in very warm weather for an hour or two until soft, then shredded by hand
- ***
- Pork (combine all in large bowl and marinate in fridge overnight):
- 1 3/4 lbs. fatty pork belly without skin, cut into 2” chunks
- 2 Tbsp. shiitake soaking liquid from the filling portion of the recipe (avoid the sediment)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil (TFD endorses only Kadoya brand)
- 2 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Knorr Aromat
- 1/2 tsp. 13 spice powder
- 2 tsp. grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp. fermented bean curd (white fu ru), mashed
- 1/2 tsp. toasted rice powder or crushed fried glutinous rice (optional but recommended - this is a very old banquet trick. It absorbs rendered fat and reinforces the rice-meat integration)
- 1/4 tsp. chen pi powder (dried tangerine zest) - optional but recommended
- ***
- Rice (soak rice the night before, combine all in large bowl the day of making):
- 3 1/2 cups glutinous rice, soaked overnight, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. rendered bacon fat (TFD’s preference to add smokiness), orc use rendered pork fat or neutral oil (if you must)
- 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon powder or Knorr Aromat
- ***
- Garnishes:
- A few drops superior soy sauce, served over the cut zongzi slices
- Micro-slices of pickled ginger, served on the side
Instructions
- Prepare the zongzi leaves, you don’t need all of these, the extras are in case a leaf breaks or shreds. Select two leaves and cut off both ends of each. Overlap about half, up to two thirds, of the leaves together. Use both of your hands to shape the leaves into a compact cone, smooth sides in. Make sure the tails of the leaves are long enough to cover the top of the cone. If not, rearrange the leaves so they overlap less.
- Stuff the filling in this exact order:
Rice – 2 Tbsp.
Mung beans – thin layer
Chestnuts – thin layer
Sichuan preserved vegetable – thin layer
Pork belly – 1 cube
Shiitake + shredded dried scallop
⅔ salted yolk
A bit of the chili oil solids and the remaining ⅓ salted yolk, crumbled on top of the solids
Rice – just enough to sealIt’s important to NOT pack the rice with too much force. The rice will expand a lot once cooked and it will make the filling more chewy if you do so.
Gently press and smooth as you do. There should be a ¼” lip around the rice.
- Wrapping & Tying: take the open side of the zongzi between your thumb and index finger and fold the sides inwards, covering the rice.
- Fold the long leaves over the open area, tightening between your thumb and index finger to create a pointed triangular shape. Then flip the zongzi over and wrap the leaves around tightly to seal it.
- Wrap the zongzi in a piece of twine, making sure it is cinching any area where the leaf might come loose, and tie it off. For extra security, you can use another piece of twine to wrap the zongzi again, crosswise. One firm wrap lengthwise + one crosswise is quite sufficient. Do not strangle the pyramid, please! The zongzi should form a triangle shape with all the rice well covered by the bamboo leaves.
- Place the wrapped zongzi on a tray so it catches any marinade liquid that might seep out from the leaves.
- If using a pressure cooker (preferred), make sure the zongzi are fully submerged. Cook under high pressure for 70 minutes, with a natural release. Alternatively, use a stovetop and cook at a gentle simmer for 3½ hours – NEVER a rolling boil. Drain and rest zongzi at least 3 hours before serving or chilling.
- Unwrap each one at tableside, slice cleanly into two thick pieces and serve on warm porcelain with garnishes.
- If storing, chill fully – vacuum-sealed if possible. These keep 5 days refrigerated and freeze exceptionally well (up to 6 months). Reheat by gentle steaming, not boiling, to preserve structure.