Sticky Rice Dumplings — leaf-wrapped festive rice parcels

i. Origin & history

Zongzi commemorate the poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), who drowned himself in protest at his exile. Villagers reportedly threw rice into the water to feed his spirit; the ritual evolved into wrapped rice. The festival is held on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 20 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 500 g glutinous rice, soaked overnight
• 40 dried bamboo leaves, soaked overnight
• Kitchen string
• 200 g sweet red-bean paste, divided into 20 portions
• 20 jujube dates (or 200 g lotus seed paste)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt

iii. Method

1. Drain rice; mix with sugar and salt.
2. Take two soaked bamboo leaves; overlap and fold into a cone shape.
3. Half-fill the cone with rice. Press in a portion of bean paste and a jujube. Top with more rice to fill.
4. Fold leaves over the top to enclose; tie tightly with string into a tetrahedron.
5. Submerge bundles in a large pot of boiling water. Simmer 2-3 hours.
6. Cool slightly; unwrap to eat.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Cantonese sweet zongzi use red bean and lotus seed. Northern Chinese zongzi use red dates. Savoury zongzi with pork and salted egg are the alternate canonical form.

vii. More from Chinese

• Nian Gao — Lunar New Year cake
• Tangyuan — rice balls in ginger soup
• Klepon — Indonesian palm-sugar rice balls
• Daifuku — mochi with bean filling
• Khao Tom Mud — Thai banana sticky rice
• Suman — Filipino sticky rice in leaf