Jiaxing zongzi (pork belly rice dumplings)
嘉兴粽子 Jiaxing zongzi: Zhejiang soy sticky-rice dumplings with fatty pork belly
Jiaxing in Zhejiang, an hour south-west of Shanghai, is China's zongzi capital: at the Dragon Boat Festival, and all year round at the station kiosks, people buy long pillow-shaped parcels of soy-brown sticky rice wrapped round a chunk of pork belly that melts into the grains during hours of boiling. The rice and pork marinate separately, overnight in the fridge. The mistake is lean pork: it turns dry and stringy, while belly bastes the rice from inside. The pork is fully cooked after the long boil, well over 71 °C. A little Shaoxing rice wine goes in the pork marinade; it cooks away, and you can leave it out. Chef's tip: tie them firmly; loose zongzi let water in and the rice turns mushy.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the rice
- 1 ⅓ lb glutinous ricerinsed
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the pork
- 1 ⅛ lb pork bellyskin on, cut into 10 pieces about 5 cm x 2 cm
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wineor leave out for alcohol-free
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
For wrapping
- 30 dried bamboo leavessoaked overnight and scrubbed
- 10 lengths kitchen string
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅓ lb glutinous rice with 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and add just enough water to cover. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight, until every grain is soy-brown.
Step 2: Mix 1 ⅛ lb pork belly with 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, 3 slices fresh ginger and ¼ tsp ground white pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Step 3: Boil 30 dried bamboo leaves for 5 minutes to soften, then drain. Drain the rice well.
5 minStep 4: Overlap three leaves into a wide cone. Add 2 tbsp rice, a piece of pork with a little marinade, then 2 tbsp more rice to cover it.
Step 5: Fold the leaves over into a long, flat pillow shape, tucking in the ends, and tie tightly with 10 lengths kitchen string. Repeat to make 10.
Step 6: Put in a large pan, cover by 5 cm 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 under.
180 minStep 7: Cut one open to check: the rice should be soft, sticky and evenly brown, and the fat in the pork translucent and melting. Serve hot. Cooked zongzi keep for 3 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen; re-steam for 20 minutes until piping hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jiaxing zongzi (pork belly 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.
- 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.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.