Zongzi is a quintessential food for the Dragon Boat Festival. Every region in China
makes it differently. Red Date Zongzi is one of the most popular types in Northern China.
It s also my family s favorite. Let s take a look at this amazing Red Date Zongzi recipe!
Rehydrate the bamboo leaves in water overnight.
Thoroughly clean the bamboo leaves. Drain.
Today I m using short-grain glutinous rice because that s what my family usually uses.
So should you short-grain or long-grain glutinous rice for zongzi?
Here are some fun facts: short-grain is softer and stickier than the long-grain,
and is widely used in Northern parts of China. On the other hand, long-grain is firmer and
shinier than short-grain, and it is mostly used in Southern parts of China. Rinse the glutinous rice
and soak in water for at least 4 hours to overnight. Drain.
Rinse the dried red dates. Drain.
In a mixing bowl, transfer in the glutinous rice, and sugar. Mix well. Set aside.
Working with 3 bamboo leaves at a time.
Dry them with paper towels, and use a pair of kitchen shears to
trim off about 1 inch of the ends.
Take two of them, smooth side up, and place the smaller one on top of the bigger one.
Fold them into a cone.
Fill with 1 tablespoon of glutinous rice, 3 red dates,
add more if you like, and 3 tablespoons of glutinous.
To cover the cone, place another bamboo leave on the side.
Fold the right side inward, the left side inward, and the rest of the leaves.
Tightly wrap a cooking twine around the zongzi several times and tie a knot.
Repeat with the rest. Another interesting thing about zongzi is that every region,
every household, or everyone might wrap it differently. Just like painting,
you and both paint the same object, and the painting could end up looking very differently.
In a large pot of room temperature water over high heat, place in the zongzi, and
they should be completely submerged in the water.
Cover with a lid, and bring it to a boil.
Then reduce heat to medium, and cook for 2 hours, checking every 30 minutes and adding additional
hot water if it no longer covers the zongzi. So should you boil or steam your zongzi? I think
there is no right or wrong to this question, and there are pros and cons to both methods. Every
region in China does it differently, so it really depends on your preferences. My
family has been boiling zongzi as far as I could remember, so this is how I cook zongzi as well.
Take out the zongzi and drain. Let cool for about 30 minutes before opening,
so that they better hold their shape. Cut the twine. Enjoy!