鹹肉粽Cantonese Savoury Zongzi (Pork and Salted Egg Rice Dumplings)

Prep 1h 30m·Cook 4 h·Rest 12 h

1. 1You're here
   Step 1.

   The day before, cut the pork into 10 pieces about 3 × 3 × 5 cm. Mix with the salt, sugar, five-spice, light soy, wine and white pepper, cover and refrigerate overnight.

   600 g Skinless pork belly1½ tsp Salt1 tsp Sugar1 tsp Five-spice powder1 tbsp Light soy sauce1 tbsp Shaoxing wine½ tsp White pepper

   Knife workMarinate

   Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

   Big pieces of belly with plenty of fat melt into the rice during the long boil. Lean pork turns dry and stringy.
2. 2
   Step 2.

   Also the day before, soak the bamboo leaves in cold water overnight, weighed down so they stay submerged.

   30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

3. 3
   Step 3.

   Rinse and soak the glutinous rice and the mung beans in separate bowls of cold water overnight.

   1 kg Glutinous rice500 g Hulled split mung beans (yellow)

   12 h
4. 4
   Step 4.

   On the day, boil the bamboo leaves for 10 minutes, then scrub each one on both sides with a brush under running water and trim the stem ends.

   30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

   10 minBoil / blanch

   Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

   Boiling softens the leaves so they fold without splitting and kills any mould spores.
5. 5
   Step 5.

   Drain the rice and mung beans well. Toss the rice with two-thirds of the salt and the oil; toss the mung beans with the remaining salt.

   1 kg Glutinous rice500 g Hulled split mung beans (yellow)1 tbsp Salt, for the rice and beans3 tbsp Cooking oil

   Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

   Oil coats the grains so the cooked rice is glossy and does not stick to the leaves.
6. 6
   Step 6.

   Overlap two leaves, smooth sides up, with the tips pointing opposite ways. Fold them into a deep cone about one-third of the way from one end.

   30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

   Simple wrapping
7. 7
   Step 7.

   Fill with 2 tbsp rice, then 1 tbsp mung beans. Add a piece of pork, a salted yolk and a shiitake half, then 1 tbsp mung beans and 2 tbsp rice to cover.

   1 kg Glutinous rice500 g Hulled split mung beans (yellow)600 g Skinless pork belly10 pieces Salted duck egg yolks5 pieces Dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and halved

   Simple wrapping

   Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

   The mung beans should surround the pork and yolk, so the melting fat seeps into the beans and makes them creamy.
8. 8
   Step 8.

   Press the filling down gently, fold the long ends of the leaves over the top and down the sides to form a closed pyramid, then wrap the string round it several times and tie tightly.

   30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

   Simple wrapping

   Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

   Leave a little room for the rice to swell, but tie firmly; a loose zongzi lets water in and turns soggy, a too-full one bursts.
9. 9
   Step 9.

   Repeat to make 10. Put them in a large pot, cover with boiling water by at least 5 cm and weigh down with a plate.

   30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

10. 10
    Step 10.

    Boil gently with the lid on for 4 hours, topping up with boiling water every 30–40 minutes so the zongzi are always submerged.

    1 kg Glutinous rice500 g Hulled split mung beans (yellow)600 g Skinless pork belly

    4 hBoil / blanch

    Mum's tip媽媽小貼士

    Add only boiling water: cold water stops the cooking and leaves the rice hard. A pressure cooker cuts this to 60 minutes at high pressure.
11. 11
    Step 11.

    Lift out the zongzi and hang them up to drain for 10 minutes before unwrapping.

    30 pieces Dried bamboo leaves (zongzi leaves), plus a few spares

    10 min