Chinese meals Zongzi

The zongzi or zong zi 粽子 is a meals or snack to conventional Chinese glutinous rice filled with completely different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves or reed within the method of twists. They’re identified below the title chimaki in Japanese. Within the West, they’re often called Chinese tamales. Within the Philippines, zong zi is extra often called Masan. Laotians, Thais and Cambodians even have comparable conventional dishes influenced by the zongzi.

 

 

The Zong zi is historically eaten throughout the Dragon Boat Competition (Duan wǔ Jie) which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar (round early to mid-June), commemorating the dying of Qu Yuan 屈原, a well-known poet Chinese kingdom of Chu who lived throughout the Warring States interval. Recognized for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried in useless to warn his king and his compatriots towards the expansionism of Qin. When Common Bai Qi Qing took Yingdu, capital of Chu kingdom in 278 BC, Qu Yuan grief was so intense that he dedicated suicide in the Miluo River after writing the poem Lament for Ying . In line with legend, packets of rice had been thrown into the river to forestall fish from consuming the physique of the poet. One other legend says that Zong zi had been thrown to appease a dragon that lived within the river.

 

The form of zong zi is tetrahedral in southern China cylinder within the north.

 

Wrap a zong zi is a talent which is transmitted in households. Throughout manufacturing, all members of the family give a hand.

 

Though historically the zong zi is wrapped in bamboo leaves, lotus leaves, corn, banana, canna, or pandanus leaves are typically used as substitutes in different nations. Every kind of leaf prints its personal odor and offers a novel taste to the rice.

 

The fittings used for zong zi differ in every area, however it makes use of solely sticky rice. Relying on the area, rice could also be barely blown or soaked in water earlier than use.

 

For the filling, you should utilize mung beans, purple bean paste, jujube, pork (salted, sausage …), Chinese black mushrooms, salted duck eggs, chestnuts, peanuts, inexperienced beans, dried shrimp, Saint-Jacques scallops, hen, taro, turnip slices dried shallots, and many others.

 

The zong zi ought to be steamed or boiled for a number of hours. As soon as cooked, it might probably simply be frozen for later consumption.

 

Variations

– Jia Zong : as an alternative of glutinous rice, utilizing beads mochi. They’re usually smaller than most zong zi and properly sticky.

 

– Shuijing Zong or “crystalline Zong zi” are usually not stuffed zong zi made with a particular glutinous rice, cooked lengthy, has a barely translucent paste whereby the rice grains have “melted.” They’re eaten chilly or barely frozen, dipped in powdered sugar, syrup or honey.

 

– Jianshui Zong  or “alkaline Zong zi” are normally eaten as a dessert. Sticky rice is handled with aqueous sodium carbonate that offers them a yellow colour. They normally comprise no garnish or are full of a candy combination (eg, candy bean paste) and are sometimes consumed with sugar or syrup.

 

– Nyonya or Nianre Zong Zong : specialty Peranakanne kitchen. They’re much like the zongzi southern China besides that the packaging is product of pandanus leaves.

 

Not too long ago, varieties containing costly ingredients-based jokes as a consequence of their rarity or their medicinal virtues have appeared; they’re given as presents.

Picture supply:http://www.chinadecoded.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Zongzi.jpg

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