With the Dragon Boat Festival just around the corner, we recommend these traditional and slightly non-traditional bazhang (肉粽/sticky rice dumpling) recipes that you and your family can try out together for quality bonding time!
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Shanghai Style Zong Zi
Photo credit: Betty Liu
What is Shanghainese food? Think of dishes that appear red and shiny – that’s because the two key ingredients in Shanghainese cuisines are sugar and soy sauce.
A comprehensive guide to making Shanghainese rice dumplings, it was explained that these dumplings are smaller than the common Chinese rice dumplings and uses only pork. Through beautiful photography and clear directions, learn how to make these dumplings with the recipe here.
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Vegetarian Nyonya Mushroom Glutinous Rice Dumpling
Photo credit: Bake for Happy Kids
We recommend this rice dumpling recipe for our vegetarian friends. Using shiitake mushrooms and winter melon as its main ingredients, this recipe makes a delicious and flavourful vegetarian option. In addition, the author mixes basmati and glutinous rice as its base, which is an interesting take on traditional rice dumplings.
Follow the recipe here.
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Kee Chang (Lye Water Dumpling)
Made from yellow glutinous rice without any fillings, this vegetarian delight is often enjoyed as a sweet snack or dessert, and can be paired with sugar syrup, kaya or peanut butter. With fewer ingredients in the recipe it also means that the alkaline dumpling is easier to make – great for beginners!
Find the recipe here.
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Zongzi with Red Bean Paste
Photo credit: Omnivore’s Cookbook
Who says that bazhang is all about meat? Another vegetarian option, this rice dumpling is sweet thanks to the red bean paste. With only four ingredients including the bamboo leaves, you can even ask your little ones to help in the kitchen when making these scrumptious dumplings.
To store the dumplings, place them in plastic bags after cooling off. You can keep these dumplings in the fridge for up to 3 days or in freezer for up to 2 months! To serve the leftovers, let the dumplings thaw completely and either steam or gently boil them in water until warm.
Find the recipe here.
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Teochew Sticky Rice Dumpling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWgp-fwHNmY
We love Teochew dumplings and especially the savoury ones for its marinated pork belly, tasty egg yolk, fragrant chestnut, and chewy Chinese sausage. Teochew dumplings are not commonly found in Singapore, which makes it even more special and another reason to make it. Check out the YouTube video above by Huang Kitchen to learn how to make them.
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Chicken Curry Rice Dumplings
Photo credit: Nasi Lemak Lover
If you love curry and chicken then you should not miss out on this recipe. Instead of pork, the author uses chicken curry as its main ingredient, paired with savoury glutinous rice. Be sure to prepare your bamboo leaves a day in advance so it comes out nice and soft for wrapping.
For dried bamboo leaves, boil them for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the leaves turn soft but are still green in color. Then drain it and let it cool overnight. For fresh leaves, simply soak the bamboo leaves in hot water for about 1 to 2 minutes, until soft.
Find the recipe for the rice dumplings here. Save time and energy by cooking your chicken curry using a Thermos® Shuttle Chef®.
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Mini Rice Dumplings
Photo credit: Nasi Lemak Lover
If normal sticky rice dumpling is too much for you, try this Mini Rice Dumplings recipe. These morsels of delicious steamed rice dumplings are held together using wanton skin, which is an unconventional way of making rice dumplings, for sure!
Find the recipe here.
Cook rice dumplings with a Thermos® Shuttle Chef®!
Save time and energy cooking your rice dumplings using a Shuttle Chef®. Here’s how:
- Place the dumplings in the Shuttle Chef® inner pot filled with water and bring the water to a boil.
- Continue to cook the dumplings for another 5 minutes.
- When boiling, cover the inner pot with lid and transfer it into the Shuttle Chef® outer pot. Let it sit aside for 3 hours.
Original recipe and tip courtesy of Christine Ho from Christine’s Recipes.