Different styles of Zongzi

[Photo by Zhu Xingxin/For China Daily]

Recipe | Savory rice dumplings

Ingredients (makes about 30):

1 kg glutinous rice, soaked and drained

1 kg pork belly

200 g dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked

300 g ready-to-eat chestnuts

200 g dried prawns

500 g red bean paste (dousha)

50 g dried chilies

300 g garlic, minced

1 3-cm piece ginger

1 medium brown onion

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp five-spice powder

300 g shallots

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

Method:

1. Prepare spicy prawn paste. Pound the dried prawns in a pestle and mortar until fine. Grind together dried chili, ginger, garlic and onion and add to pounded prawns.

2. Heat up some oil in a wok and fry the mixture until fragrant.

3. Peel and slice the shallots and fry in oil over low heat until fragrant and crisp. Set aside.

4. Blanch the pork belly in boiling water for five minutes. Remove from heat and cut into smaller chunks.

5. Marinate the pork belly pieces in the light and dark soy sauce, minced garlic, pepper and five-spice powder. Leave to season for an hour or longer.

6. Place the marinated pork over low fire and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside the gravy.

7. Add the glutinous rice to the gravy in the pan and fry and mix well. Take the rice off the fire and mix in the crispy fried shallots.

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