Jiaxing Zongzi
Wufangzhai fresh meat zongzi from Jiaxing features a distinctive shape, tender meat, and a rich, glutinous texture.
Ingredients
Glutinous rice (rinsed, rested, and drained)
1000 g
Boneless pork leg meat (skinned, cut along the grain into small rectangular pieces, separating lean and fat)
600 g
Bamboo leaves (7-10 cm wide, boiled in water for 3-5 minutes to soften, then rinsed)
30
Tying string
10
Soy sauce (for mixing with rice)
50 g
White sugar (20 g for rice, 7 g for meat)
27 g
Refined salt (15 g for rice, 10 g for meat)
25 g
Baijiu (for marinating meat)
5 g
MSG (for marinating meat)
1 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Select bamboo leaves 7-10 cm wide (the 'dog days' harvest leaves). Place them in a pot of boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes to soften them. Remove, rinse with clean water, and drain.
2
Step 2
Place the glutinous rice in a rinsing colander, rinse thoroughly with clean water, then let it rest in the colander for about 15 minutes to drain. Pour the rice into a wooden basin, add 20 g sugar, 15 g salt, and 50 g soy sauce, and mix well.
3
Step 3
Skin the pork leg meat and cut it along the grain into small rectangular pieces, separating the lean and fat portions (each piece about 20 g). Place in a large basin, add 7 g sugar, 10 g salt, MSG, and baijiu. Rub and knead repeatedly so the seasonings penetrate the meat, until a white foam appears on the surface.
4
Step 4
Hold 2 bamboo leaves in your left hand with the rough side facing down, overlapping them by about 1/5 of their width. Take another leaf in your right hand with the smooth side up, overlapping by about 1/3 at the tail of the leaves in your left hand to extend the length. Fold at 2/5 of the total length, overlapping the two sides by about 3 cm to form a funnel shape. Hold the leaves with your left hand; with your right hand add 40 g glutinous rice, then place 3 small pieces of meat (two lean, one fat) across the rice in lean-fat-lean order. Cover with another 60 g glutinous rice and flatten. Fold the excess leaves over to cover the rice, wrapping into a stout rectangular pillow shape with four corners. Tie with string to about 80% tightness.
5
Step 5
Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot, then add the wrapped zongzi (the water surface should be about 3-5 cm above the zongzi; place a bamboo rack and stones on top to weigh them down). Boil vigorously for 2 hours, then simmer over low heat for 1 hour until cooked through.
