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Jianshui zong (alkaline rice dumplings)
碱水粽 jianshui zong: golden, jelly-like Dragon Boat Festival sticky rice dumplings with syrup
When the Dragon Boat Festival comes round in early summer, kitchens in Guangdong and the Jiangnan region boil batches of these plain, amber zongzi in bamboo leaves; they are chilled and eaten with syrup or sugar as a cooling sweet. Alkaline water turns the glutinous rice golden, springy and almost translucent, with a faint mineral taste. Food-grade lye water is strong, so keep it away from children, wear gloves and never taste the raw soaked rice. The mistake is wrapping too tightly: the rice swells a lot, so leave a little room. Chef's tip: boil them fully submerged under a heavy plate the whole time, or the tops stay hard.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice
- 1 ½ tbsp food-grade lye water (kansui)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 24 dried bamboo leavessoaked overnight and scrubbed
- 10 lengths kitchen stringabout 1 m each
To serve
- 4 tbsp golden syrupor brown sugar syrup
- caster sugar (optional)for sprinkling
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb glutinous rice and soak it in cold water for 4 hours. Drain, then mix in 1 ½ tbsp food-grade lye water (kansui) (with gloves on) and 1 tbsp neutral oil. Leave for 30 minutes; the grains will turn pale yellow.
Step 2: Boil 24 dried bamboo leaves for 5 minutes to soften, then drain and pat dry.
Step 3: Overlap two leaves, shiny side up, fold into a cone and fill with about 3 heaped tablespoons of rice, leaving a finger's width free at the top.
Step 4: Fold the leaf ends down over the opening into a neat pyramid and tie firmly but not tightly with 10 lengths kitchen string. Repeat to make about 10.
Step 5: Put in a large pan, cover completely with cold water, weigh down with a plate and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water so they stay covered.
180 minStep 6: Cut one open: the rice should be fully golden, glassy and soft with no white centre. If not, simmer for 30 minutes more.
Step 7: Hang to drain and cool, then chill. Unwrap and serve cold with 4 tbsp golden syrup and caster sugar. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jianshui zong (alkaline rice dumplings) take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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