Makes 20 dumplings…<\/p>\n
Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n * 20 strings (for binding the zong zi packaging) Directions<\/strong> [youtube=http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VrcfecJVPTs]<\/p>\n
\n * 40 large bamboo leaves
\n * 1 kg of Glutinous Rice
\n * 2 kg of tender, fatty pork, sliced into 1 inch cubes
\n * 10 Salted Duck’s Egg yolk
\n * 40 Small Dried Black Mushrooms
\n * 20 Dried Chestnuts
\n * 10 Cloves of Scallions cut up
\n * 1\/2 kg of Dried Radish cut up very finely
\n * 5 Cloves of Garlic
\n * 100 g small Dried Shrimp.
\n * 200 g Shelled Peanuts (with skins)
\n * Cooking oil
\n * Fine Ground Black Pepper
\n * Star Anise <\/p>\n
\nSoak the rice for three hours.
\nBoil peanuts until tender (30 \u2013 1 hour).
\nStew the meat and the chestnuts together for 30 minutes to 1 hour with with 1\/2 a up of soy sauce, 1\/2 a cup of rice wine, a teaspoon each of fine ground pepper, sugar and star anise.
\nSoak mushrooms until soft (hot water will speed the process); remove the stalks.
\nStir-fry with a little soup from the meat stew; add small amounts of soy sauce, sugar,
\nDried Radish: Chop up finely and stir-fry with some sugar and garlic.
\nShrimp: Stir-fry for a couple of minutes
\nScallions: Chop up finely, stir-fry until fragrant.
\nIn a large wok, mix in with rice in the wok to flavour with soup meat stew soup.
\nAdd the peanuts.
\nThen the shrimp.
\nCut the dried duck egg yokes into halves.
\nBamboo leaves: Wash in hot water to tenderise the leaves (so they don’t break), before washing thoroughly in cold water.
\nWet the strings to make them more pliable.
\nWrapping the zong zi: Hang the set of strings.
\n\u00ab\u00a0Fold the leaves flat at the leafstalk to make a sheet.\u00a0\u00bb
\n\u00ab\u00a0Hold the sheet, fold it round in the middle and make a funnel till both ends are laid over each other in one direction.\u00a0\u00bb
\nThe dumplings should be pyramid shaped with sharp edges and pointed ends.
\nIt takes some practice to get nice looking ones.
\nThey are tied up just like shoes laces with a double knot which makes them easy to open.
\n*Steam for 1 hour, unwrap and serve.
\nNotes<\/strong>
\nZong zi are eaten plain or with any kind of sauce you chose.
\nPeople in southern Taiwan tend to boil the dumplings rather than steam them. <\/p>\n