Zongzi, rice wrapped with bamboo leaves »Get to know China
The Zong or Zongzi , is a very typical dish in traditional Chinese cuisine based on glutinous rice with different fillings and rolled with bamboo leaves. It is a dish that has spread a lot, because the truth is that in other places like Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam also have some variant.
From the traditional point of view, this dish is served during the Dragon Boat Festival , a party held approximately during the first half of June. During this party, we try to honor the figure of Qu Yuan . This man was a famous Chinese poet who lived during the Warring States. He tried to protect his king from the advances of the Qin men, however, a general managed to grab him and throw him into the river. According to legend, the locals threw stuffed rice so that the fish did not end up eating the poet's body. Another version ensures that the rice sought to calm the dragon that inhabited those waters. Anyway, every year this traditional dish is eaten during this party to commemorate this brave man.
We can not deny that it is a complex recipe, because although at first glance it seems not to involve complications, the truth is that the winding is a technique that passes from generation to generation. Still we can venture and try to make them at home.
INGREDIENTS
- Round glutinous rice: 1.5 kg - 2 kg.
- Stuffed bamboo leaves: 50 leaves.
- Shitake mini dissected mushrooms.
- Stewed Bondiola: 1 kg.
- Soy sauce: 50 ml.
- Sunflower oil: 30 ml.
- Peanuts with skin: 300 g.
- Slaughter Thread
PREPARATION
To make this dish it will take 3 days. For 48-72 hours we will have to let the bamboo leaves soak.
The second day we will proceed to cook the stewed bondiola, letting it rest in a refrigerator for about 24 hours. It is imperative that the meat is completely tender.
We must also wash the rice with plenty of water and soak it for 24 hours too. Also, both peanuts and shitake mushrooms should be soaked at the same time.
On the third day we will proceed to wash the bamboo leaves well and drain them properly. We will also drain the mushrooms and other food.
Sauté the rice with a little oil and soy sauce and add a little salt to taste.
We must cut the threads with a length of about 60 cm- 100 cm. We will use 2 bamboo leaves to form a cone with them, fill them with rice, meat, mushrooms and rice and close it. Then we try to assemble a tamale with 4 angles and tie it with the thread.
After this, we must cook them in water or steamed for about 1 hour or 1 hour and a half.