Rice dumplings (粽子 Zong Zi in Chinese, or Bak Chang in dialect) are a must-eat during the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节 Duan Wu Jie in Chinese)! 😋 There are many different types of rice dumplings, but here’s an easy recipe for savoury Hokkien Rice Dumplings which are one of the most common in Singapore! For a unique touch of fusion flavour, you may replace dried shrimps with bacon bits like we did!

Rice Dumplings Recipe

Glutinous Rice Mix
- 500g Glutinous Rice
- 2 tsp Five-Spice Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- Bacon Bits / Dried Shrimps (quantity to preference)
- Fried Onions (quantity to preference)

Stuffing (Quantity to preference)
- Pork Belly
- Shiitake Mushrooms
- Salted Egg Yolks
- Chinese Sausages
- Chestnuts

Wrap
- Bamboo Leaves – soak in warm water for 5 minutes, then scrub leaves clean under cold water. Put them into a pot to boil for 15 minutes till soft.

Method
1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for about 90 mins, then drain. Add the five-spice powder, salt & pepper seasoning to the glutinous rice and mix well.
2. Add a handful of bacon bits / dried shrimps and some fried onions. Mix thoroughly.
3. Leave it in the fridge to season overnight.
4. The next day, prepare soaked bamboo leaves, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and pork belly, plus salted egg yolks, Chinese sausages and chestnuts.
5. Retrieve your seasoned glutinous rice from the fridge. it’s time to start wrapping your rice dumplings!
6. Fold the softened bamboo leaves into a cone shape and add the ingredients as shown, starting with about 1 tbsp of rice at the bottom. Check out the video below for a close-up tutorial on how to wrap the rice dumplings!
7. Once all the rice dumplings have been wrapped, prepare a stock pot with sufficient water and bring it to a boil.
8. Add the rice dumplings and boil for about 2 hours. (If the rice holds together nicely, then your rice dumplings are ready! If not, you’ll have to boil them for longer.)
9. Serve and savour the rice dumplings while hot. Enjoy!

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