How to Make Savoury Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Bamboo Leaves (Zhang) Step by Step

I was surprised to find our local farmer market sell chestnuts. Usually this local farm market only sell American foods and vegetable but since they sell chestnut at $4.95 a pound ,I would love to get a pound or two to make something special.I love chestnut filling in bun or cake but have no idea how to process the bun filling. So another alternative is to use this chestnuts to make Zhang! I know ,I know Zhang Zhi is not here yet but I would like to practise my Zhang wrapping skill.This is the second time I wrap my own zhang.The Zhang (dumpling) festival is celebrated on the 5th of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar .I'm not an expert in Zhang wrapping but manageable so far.Too bad my mom live half globe away, I wish to learn more from her,she is the master of Zhang wrapping.

Ingredients:(A)

40 pcs dried bamboo leaves(boiled for 1 hour)

3 cups glutinous rice(soaked overnight and drained)

5-6 cloves garlic(minced)

1 tsp 5 spice powder

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy(caramel) sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp oil

Ingredients:( B)

2 lb or more pork belly

20 pc chestnuts (boiled for 1 hour or soaked overnight )

15 pc shitake mushroom(soaked and cut)

1/2 cup dried shrimp (soaked 1 hour)

5-6 cloves fresh garlic/shallot(minced)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp caramel soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp 5 spice powder

3-4 dried red pepper(optional)

Method:

Prepared bamboo leaves and plastic string (or hemp) in advance.Boiled the leaves for an hour and clean again with cold water before drained.Set aside.

1:Heat up 2 tbsp oil,saute minced garlic until fragrant,add glutinous rice and all seasoning (A) and stir-fry until well mixed.Taste and dish up,set aside in a big bowl.

2:Heat up 1 tbsp oil,saute with minced garlic until fragrant.Add in pork belly,dried red pepper,shitake mushroom,chestnuts,dried shrimp and all the seasoning,stir fried until mixed well.(don't have to dry up ,just half cook since it's going to boil for hours).Dish up and separate each individual before set aside.

Wrapping Method:

1:Use 2 pieces of bamboo leaves to fold into a cone shape.Fill in 1/2 tbsp glutinous rice,one piece of chicken,one piece mushroom and one oyster .Top with another 1/2 tbsp glutinous rice to cover the ingredients.

2:Press the rice firm and cover the extended ends of leaves an form into the shape of triangle.Tie and secure with plastic string.(I don't have hemp) .Repeat the wrapping procedure until all the glutinous rice finish.

3:Prepared 4 liter water in boiling pot,pot must big enough to cook all the dumpling.

4:When the water is rolling boil ,add in the whole bunch of dumpling,pour in more water to cover all the dumpling if necessary.Boil the dumpling for 2-3 hours.

5:Removed the dumpling from the pot and hang up to drip dry.Serve it hot or warm.

Yield approx 15- 20 dumplings

It's not perfect wrapping ,I still need more practise.

This is the ingredients I prepared

Clean bamboo leaves

Glutinous rice with seasoning

Cooked Chestnuts with seasoning

Cooked Dried Shrimp ( Har Mai/Hei Bei) with seasoning

Cooked Shitaki Mushroom with seasoning

Cooked Pork Belly with dried red pepper .Remember to prepare some plastic string or hemp for 20 pieces zhang(dumpling) in advance

Step #1 - fold 2 pieces bamboo leave in triangle shape,then fill some rice in the bottom and add some dried shrimp,one shitaki mushroom,one pork belly and one chestnuts .You don't see salted egg here coz,I don't really care for salted egg.You can add salted egg into it but have to reduce other ingredients ,if not you can't cover or wrap nicely without leakage

Step# 2- top up with some rice to cover all the ingredients

Step # 3 - compact all the ingredients together,hold tight

Step # 4- I try to take the photos myself while wrapping the zhang.It's quite difficult with both hands oily

Step # 5

Step #6

Step #7 :then tight and secure with plastic string

Step # 8: Repeat all the same procedure until glutinous rice finish.Make sure the dumpling(zhang) not open during cooking period.

Step# 9: Prepare a large pot with water.When the water is rolling boil,add in the whole bunch of Zhang (dumpling) into it.Let's it cook for 2-3 hours.Remove after cook,hang it dry or let's the water drip before serve warm or hot.

Note:

You can used chicken or beef for the meat to replace pork. HERE
is my previous posting using chicken to wrapped savoury zhang.