Held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, Duan Wu, more commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival, commemorates the life and death of Chinese scholar Qu Yuan. But why dragon boats?  During the Zhou Dynasty, Qu Yuan was slandered by jealous government officials and banished by the king. In despair and disappointment, he drowned himself in the Miluo River, and commoners rushed to the water in boats to recover his body. Thus the tradition was born to hold dragon boat races on the day of his death. There’s so much more to Duan Wu than boats though, including the food served to commemorate the holiday. Thankfully for us, the Baology team, husband and wife Judy Ni and Andy Tessier, put on a dinner stuffing COOK guests with Taiwanese cuisine and knowledge. Read on to learn how to make bamboo wrapped dumplings, traditionally served during the Duan Wu Festival!

Zong Zi

Zong Zi, sticky rice dumplings filled with pork, shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimp, wrapped and cooked in bamboo leaves

Judy prefers her Zong Zi to be filled with sticky rice, pork, shiitakes and dried shrimp. While the filling for these dumplings may vary from family to family, the sticky rice is a staple due to its origins in the Duan Wu Festival. When Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo, citizens offered up sticky rice to the water so that the fish wouldn’t eat his body. Shiitakes are the most cultivated mushroom in Taiwan so they are commonly found in Zong Zi as well. Traditionally the bamboo dumplings are hung to dry as pictured above. Growing up, Judy would cut one down after arriving home from school, put it in a bowl and microwave it for an afternoon snack. Her mother had tons of them in the freezer at all times, and you can too with Judy’s recipe below! Bamboo or banana leaves can be found in most Asian markets in the city; Judy recommended going to the Spring Garden Supermarket.

Ingredients

• Sticky Rice (also called glutenous rice, or sweet rice)
• Garlic confit
• Scallions
• Pork Shoulder (diced 1/2 inch cubes)
• Sweet soy sauce
• Sugar
• Spices
• Dried shiitake mushrooms
• Bamboo or banana leaves

Directions

First start by soaking two things: the sticky rice and the bamboo/banana leaves. Soak the rice in water for 2 hours, then drain. The bamboo or banana leaves will need at least 12 hours to soak and become pliable.

Once you have begun soaking, it’s time to prepare the hong shao rou, the red braising liquid for the pork shoulder. Combine sugar, spices and soy (Judy prefers sweet soy for this) in a large bowl. Add the diced pork shoulder to the bowl and mix to coat the meat. Transfer to a Dutch oven, crock pot or vessel of your choice to braise it low and slow until tender. Drain the braising liquid and set it aside for later use.

Next, grab your dried shiitake mushrooms and reconstitute them in a bowl of boiling water. Allow them to expand for 15 minutes or so, drain and set aside liquid for later use once again.

Place a large pot over medium-low heat and add the garlic confit, cooking until the garlic aroma is released, but be sure it doesn’t burn! Put the rice in the pot and stir to coat in the garlic oil. Once the rice is gently toasted you can begin adding your braising and mushroom liquids that were set aside. Alternate between the two and add in increments to achieve a sticky rice that has a viscosity which is not too loose, yet not too thick. Cook until about 90% done, pull off the heat and set aside.

Now that your sticky rice, pork shoulder, and shiitake mushrooms are ready, you can begin to wrap your dumplings in the bamboo leaves! Take 2 bamboo leaves and form a cone-shaped cup with them. Add the sticky rice, braised pork, and shiitakes and wrap tightly so that nothing will fall out during the steaming process. Tie them closed with butcher’s twine or string and hang to dry. Once dried, quickly steam the zong zi, cut open and enjoy!

Dipping Sauce

Want a quick and simple dipping sauce for your Zong Zi, or just to have in the fridge? The Baology crew served up this great sauce with their first course, the Sheng Jing Bao, a pan-fried pork soup dumpling. Guests loved the dipping sauce so much that they asked Judy how to make it at home. To get sauced on this crazy easy condiment, all you need to do is combine Lee Kum Kee chili garlic paste (the jar with the red lid), low sodium soy and sesame oil to taste.

“The longer the noodle, the longer your life” said Judy, explaining a little about Taiwanese food culture. If that’s true, then head to Baology and eat all the lengthy noodles you can so that you may live a long life and therefore enjoy more noodles and dumplings! Baology can be found at 19th and JFK and is open from 11 – 7 PM Monday through Friday and 11 – 3 PM on Saturday. Stop in, take a bao, and tell them COOK sent you!