Ingredients

Yield: 12 Dumplings

600g glutinous rice

2 dozen bamboo leaves

For the filling:

230g pork belly

300g skinless mung bean

4 dried shitake mushroom

6 dried scallops

1 dozen salted egg yolk

Pork belly marinade:

1tsp salt

1tsp sugar

1tbsp soy sauce

1tsp dark soy sauce

1tsp five-spice powder

Rice marinade:

2tsp salt

1tsp white pepper powder

2tbsp oil

Method

1.      Soak the sticky rice in cold water for at least 2 hours. Drain all the water. Mix in all the rice marinade ingredients.

2.      Soak the mung beans in cold water for at least 1 hour. Drain all the water. Add 1 tsp of salt and mix well. Set aside.

3.      Slice the pork into ½ inch pieces and mix in the pork marinade. Let the pork marinade for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

4.      Soak the dried scallops & shitake mushroom in cold water for 2 hours and drain all the water. Set aside. Slice the shiitake mushroom into bit size. Half the dried scallops.

5.      If using the dried leaves, put the bamboo leaves in a large pot of water for about 30 minutes. Boil the soaked leaves in a wok or pot for about 10 minutes until the leaves are soft. Rinse the leaves thoroughly and wipe the leaves clean with paper towel.

6.      Take two bamboo leaves and place them in opposite directions. Overlap the two leaves by 80% of the area. Starting at 1/3 lengthwise from one end, bend the leaves to form a cone, make sure there is no opening or holes on the cone.

7.      Fill the cone with 1 tbsp of sticky rice and 1 tbsp of mung beans then add a layer of pork belly, shiitake mushroom, scallops, and salted egg yolk. And cover with another 1 tbsp of mung bean. Gently spread to cover. Lastly, add another layer of sticky rice to cover the top.

8.      To close the opening, fold over the remaining 2/3 of the leaves. Cover the top completely and press down to partially cover the sides. Wrap the edge of the leaves to either left or right side of the zongzi.

9.      The zongzi should be completely wrapped and turn the zongzi around to make sure there is no opening. Use a string or straw to tie up the zongzi. Make sure you wrap the zongzi a few times so there are no loose ends. You don’t need to tie it too tight, allowing some room for the cooked ingredients to expand.

10.  Place the wrapped zongzi in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 1 & half hours to 2 hours depending on the size of the zongzi.