Information About

Zongzi




''Zong'', '''''zongzi''''', or '''Chinese rice dumplings''' are a Traditional Chinese Food , made of Glutinous Rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in Bamboo leaves. They are cooked by steaming or boiling. Laotians, Thais, Cambodians, and Vietnamese ('''''bánh tro''''' in Vietnamese language) also have similar traditional dishes influenced by ''zongzi''.


ORIGINS

''Zongzi'' is traditionally eaten during the that lived in the river.


DESCRIPTION


The shape of ''zongzi'' range from relatively Tetrahedra l to cylindrical. Wrapping a ''zongzi'' neatly is a skill which is passed down through Families , as are the recipes. Like '' Tamale ''-making in Mexico , ''zongzi''-making was traditionally a family event with everyone helping out, but that is less common now.

While traditional Chinese ''zongzi'' are wrapped in bamboo leaves, the leaves of Lotus , Maize , Banana , Canna , Shell Ginger or Pandan leaves are sometimes used as substitutes in other cultures. Each kind of leaf imparts its own unique smell and flavour to the rice.

The fillings used for ''zongzi'' vary from region to region, but the Rice used is always Glutinous Rice (also called sticky or sweet rice). Depending on the region, the rice may be lightly precooked by stir-frying or soaked before using. Fillings may be sweet, with:


Ingredients



Red Bean Paste ''zongzi'' take a particularly long time to prepare. The Red Beans used for the filling must be simmered until soft, drained, skinned, and mashed into a paste that is stir-fried with sugar.

''Zongzi'' need to be Steamed or Boiled for several hours depending on how the rice is treated prior to filling. Once cooked, the ''zongzi'' can easily be frozen for later consumption. Frozen ''zongzi'' are available for sale in many Chinese markets.


Variations

  • ''Pseudo-zongzi'' (-like balls of glutinous rice flour (so no individual grains of rice are discernible) are used to "contain" the filling of the ''zong''. These ''zong'' are typically smaller than most ''zongzi'' and much more sticky. This is how the Hakka traditionally make their zongzi {Link without Title} .

  • ''Jianshui zong'' ( water (aqueous Calcium Hydroxide ), which gives them a distinctive yellow colour. ''Jianshui zong'' are typically filled with sweet fillings, although some are unfilled. This is the variation that usually contain no filling and are often eaten with Sugar or light Syrup .

  • ''Nonya zong'' (. The ''zong'' are made in similar style with similar fillings as Southern ''zong'', however the wrapping used are pandan leaves.



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