Recipe: How to Make Zongzi, Part 1,Ⅰ  
 

In honor of the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 8 this year, I am introducing my first ever recipe post. I am not sure if this will become a regular section of this blog, but thought it would be fun to try. Last month, when my parents came to visit, I asked my mom to teach me how to make Zongzi, a very traditional Chinese food. Since this is one of my favorite foods, I was very excited to learn how to make zongzi.

Zongzi are steamed rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves that are customarily eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Jie). There is a very interesting legend behind this food. According to the story, the festival is held to honor Qu Yuan, a high official during the Chu Dynasty, who drowned himself after finding out his country lost a war. The locals thought him to be a good man who loved his country, and decided to throw food into the river so that they fish would not eat Qu Yuan’s body. They also scared the fish away by playing drums on long narrow boats called dragon boats. This evolved into the tradition of annual dragon boat races and zongzi eating that still continues today in Chinese communities around the world.

EQUIPMENT

Large steamer

Large pot (for boiling rice)

Wok or large stir fry pan

Chinese strainer with handle (see photo)

Cotton string




 
 
News More
Festival Air Surrounds Quyuan's Hometown

Poems More
Li Sao by Qu Yuan, Part Ⅰ

  Pictures More
 
| About us | E-mail | Contact |
Constructed by Chinadaily.com.cn
Copyright @ 2003 Ministry of Culture, P.R.China. All rights reserved