Hot plate of fresh zong zi, DIY apron made over a decade ago for Mom
When I was a teen, my mom often lamented that her Cantonese cooking legacy was coming to an end with my generation. I did plenty of eating but regrettably no cooking! Each time we visit home now, I make sure to request my favorites and take plenty of notes. I love experiencing different cultures through food, and would love to be able to cook my childhood favorites for my own kids. Per some of your requests, today I am sharing recipes for two dishes that always hit the spot, and can be easily modified to suit varying tastes.
Zong zi (joong): Pictured above – sticky rice mixed with goodies, wrapped in bamboo leaves. The zong are boiled gently for 3+ hours, resulting in a heavenly melding of flavors inside. The first bite of one hot out of the pot with a touch of soy sauce = blissful. My mom often reminisces about buying these as a kid for breakfast, using saved pennies at street-side vendors. I can’t eat these store-bought (usually skimpy on fillings and not cooked long enough) anymore after having ones home made with love. Zong require a lot of prep and wrapping labor, but you can make extra and freeze (after boiling) for weeks of enjoyment or gifting to friends.
Ginger scallion lobster over noodles: Living in New England, summertime means eating so much lobster that I’m afraid I’ll turn into one. Fresh ones are yummy simply boiled whole, but my all-time favorite way has to be stir-fried and served over noodles to sop up the sauce. I initially tried this back in Canton, and was a little too excited to discover the noodles underneath. The lobster is first cut into pieces, which allows the flavors to get right to the meat, plus eliminates the need for messy claw cracking at the table.
Recipes (many of these ingredients may need to be found at a larger Asian grocery store)
1. Zong Zi / Joong / Sticky rice dumplings:
Different provinces have varied filling preferences (some sweet, some savory). For traditional Cantonese savory style per my mom, I’ve noted the key ingredients below and also listed some optionals. If you’re vegetarian, I’ve heard that simple mung bean and shiitake mushrooms mixed into the rice can be yummy.
(Ratios / quantities are very approximate to make ~20 zong zi)
– 40 dried bamboo leaves*, plus a few extras in case any of them rip
– 2 lbs of white glutinous rice* (about 4.5 cups)
– drizzle of cooking oil
– 1.5 lbs pork belly (or pork butt if you don’t like the fatty part, but I can’t imagine why!)
– Five Spice Powder (in the salt/pepper aisle at the Asian grocery) for the pork
– salt to taste
– 20 dried shiitake mushrooms
– Handful of tiny dried shrimp (“xia mi”), rinsed
– 1 package peeled split mung bean*
– Cooking string to tie the zong
– Soy sauce for eating with cooked zong
*Packaging for the rice, mung beans, and dried leaves may look similar to these
Optional (the more, the merrier!):
– soaked peanuts
– shallots- salted egg yolks
– sliced Chinese sausage
– if you don’t like pork, possibly substitute marinated chicken (use boneless leg/thigh meat)
One day prior:
1) Rinse the rice and dried mushrooms. Soak them overnight in their own respective bowls.
2) Slice the pork into 1″ pieces. Lightly coat the pieces in a bowl with sprinklings of 5 spice powder and salt, or, you can use ~3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine, and 1 tsp sugar. I’ve used the latter soy marinade after reading a compilation of online recipes, but my mom insists on the former dry seasoning.
The day of (edit: made some corrections here per Mom):
1) Rinse and soak mung beans for at least 3 hours before use.
2) Boil bamboo leaves until softened (about 5 minutes), and rinse.
3) Drain soaked rice, mushrooms, and mung beans. Slice each mushroom into 2-3 pieces. Mix drained rice with the dried shrimp, about 2 teaspoons of salt, and 3 tablespoons of oil.
Wrapping & cooking:
1) Start with two leaves, shiny side up (this will be the side touching the rice & fillings), half overlapping.
2) With one hand holding each side of the leaves, fold both ends up and criss-cross at the center, so that the middle of the leaves form a cone. The tightness of the pointy cone tip is key to avoid leakage. Hold the cone in one hand using a good grip, not to let go until the folding is done.
3) Fill cones, starting and ending with the rice. I like to encase the pork with a few spoonfuls of mung bean, and use several shitake pieces per zong. Try to use the filling evenly, but if worse comes to worst you’ll just have either plainer or super-packed w/ goodies zong towards the end.
Little brother Schuyler only likes pizza & burgers, tsk tsk…he doesn’t appreciate Chinese food just yet!
4) Fold down the leaves as shown above to seal your zong. It doesn’t need to be pretty – as long as the rice grains can be contained securely inside. The hand holding the cone also serves to grip folded leaves in place. Use your other hand (and possibly teeth for leverage) to tightly tie a string, first left-right and then top-down, around the leaf packet.
Zong-making is a family activity. Over the years, Nick has become an efficient wrapper of various Asian goodies.
5) Place into a large pot (or 2) and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer (lower, but still boiling) for at least 3 hours. You may need to add hot water to ensure that all of the zong are fully covered.
After boiling, take one out to taste with a dash of soy sauce. The sticky rice should be nice and glutinous, almost becoming one with the smooth mung bean (now paste-like) and pork. If this is not the case, boil the other ones for a little longer. A main difference between these and nuo mi ji/lo mai gai (the sticky rice packets at dim sum), is that zong are boiled for hours and those are quickly steamed.
2. Chinese-style lobster over noodles:
The traditional Cantonese recipe requires coating the lobster pieces and frying first – my mom is now health-conscious and avoids this step, and the outcome is just fine. She suggests sautéing in a pan with a lid, so the steam trapped inside can help the lobster cook evenly without getting tough.
– Ratios below are for ~1.5 lbs of lobster (one small one or half a biggie), chopped into segments
– oil for cooking
– 1.5 inch hunk of ginger, peeled and thinly julienned
– 4 stalks of scallions, julienned and separated into white and green parts (I loove scallions and always use a little extra for garnish)
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1.5 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine or sherry
– 3/4 cup either water or chicken broth
– 2 teaspoons cornstarch
– salt and Chinese white pepper to taste
– 1/3 pound of linguini or noodles of your choice
This recipe is super simple if you can find someone else cut the live lobster for you. I found out most American grocery stores don’t offer this service (guessing Asian ones won’t have a problem), but did luck out with a nice guy behind the counter willing to take on the task. Have the tail cut into 3 pieces, and claws and knuckles separated and “cracked” with a mallet for easier de-shelling later on.
If you are too squeamish to do this with a live lobster yourself (as I would be), you can try working with just lobster tails from the grocery store!
If your lobster was chopped in-store, rinse each piece thoroughly upon getting home. Try to have similar-sized pieces to aid in even cooking. The “brain-like” stuff in the body is the liver, which I personally like and keep, but know most ppl get grossed-out by. Season the exposed meat of the lobster with a little salt and white pepper.
To cook:
1) Boil noodles per the package directions and drain (it’s ok to leave a little pasta water to help lessen the sticking). Pour into a large plate.
2) Heat your frying pan w/ lid over medium-high heat. Coat bottom lightly with oil.
3) Drop in lobster pieces, and flip over after the color changes to red on one side. Add in ginger, the white parts of scallions, soy sauce, and wine. Sauté together for about two minutes.
4) Combine 1/4 cup water or chicken broth with the cornstarch until well-mixed, and set aside. This will be a thickener for the sauce, to be poured in near the end. Pour the other 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth in all around the pan, stir, and close the lid.
5) Let simmer for a few minutes with lid shut, then check the lobster. The lobster is done when the centers are white and meaty instead of grey and “gummy.” Do not overcook!
6) When the lobster is almost done, pour in the reserved liquid & cornstarch mixture and stir on medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add the green parts of the scallions and sauté quickly. Taste the sauce – season with salt and white pepper if it’s lacking, or dilute if necessary. Good lobster doesn’t need much seasoning, and the fragrant ginger & scallions usually carry this dish. If the sauce doesn’t thicken enough for your liking, mix a little more cornstarch into a bit of cold liquid, then pour in (do not sprinkle powdery starch directly into the pan or it will get clumpy) and taste again. Remove from heat and serve hot over the bed of noodles.
My mom & I each made our own variation using half of a 3-pounder, which made for a very happy & full dad this Father’s day. Her dish used pretty much the same ingredients, except chopped fermented black beans and garlic instead of the ginger – delish!
I’d love to hear your personal variations on these dishes, or if you end up trying either of the recipes!
It may not taste as fresh but I don't see why not! A quick search online shows that some have cooked this style lobster using frozen tails : )
Hi Emma! I changed my camera and forgot to update the info – these were taken using a Canon 6D and 50mm f/1.4 lens.
Ohh I love jong (that's how I've always seen it spelled) luckily in Hawaii I can find good jong in chinatown. My grandma who was full cantonese used to make jong. I'm only one quater cantonese but I still love cantonese food, maybe one day soon I'll attempt to home make joong
So sad/funny that your mom lamented that the traditional dishes were fading away with this generation :(. It's so true though! My dad was a top notch chef at a Szechuan restaurant and I sooo wish I would have learned more from him. Oh well! That said, I hope I can make my own twists on childhood favorites to share with my family. Thanks for sharing both recipes b/c I also love zhong zhi and my tried to make it once and she didn't succeed so I just thought it was super hard. Maybe it is, but you make it look so easy! I can't wait to try it!
Thanks for sharing! They look delicious and I'm always looking for new, foreign to me recipes.
Style by Joules
Zong zi is one of my favourite foods to try when I travel in Asia. But now when you say street vendors are skimpy on the ingredients I cannot imagine what home made Zong zi would taste like. Heavenly I am sure!!
Certain types of bamboo are grown for their ability to produce such large leaves. Banana leaves have a different vein pattern than what Jean used.
I don't know many Cantonese people outside of my immediate family, so it's refreshing to see that other people share in the same foods and traditions as I do! Our family has similar fillings in the joong and cook lobster in a VERY similar fashion. Keep up the good blog work! And we'll make sure that the good food continues with our generation.
From one Cantonese girl to another,
-S
Oh my word that looks so good .
Meghan Silva's Blog
Can't wait to make a trip back East! Love the food!
Corporate Catwalk
Facebook Page
Jean – you are SO SO talented! I love reading your blog because you are such a well-rounded person and have so much to teach and offer to other readers out there. And your pictures are always so colorful!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing these pics – I ate my fair share of zhong zi this past weekend (and week) too, lol. Have a great week!
xx,
Christine
thefashionpledge.com
This incredibly made me hungry, btw do you have purple hair or is it just the editing effect of the photo. Thanks.!
I love zhong! My mom just made some (possibly hundreds :P). Every year like clockwork, she starts soaking the leaves and the next day, she becomes a human weaving machine with all that string handling. I feel sad that I never learned to cook her recipes, especially now that I live away from home. Heartwarming post :). Thx!
I seriously love zong zi! It's one of the few things I truly love about dim sum. For some reason, a lot of the dishes sit a little "heavy" in my stomach, but I could eat a whole plate of these! So glad that I now have a recipe to use!!
<3 sarah
Life By Appointment
I'm never gonna make these, but I love that you have your mother's recipes and will continue the tradition.
Mmm I love a good joong! Back in Malaysia, we actually have two types of joongs, one that is sweet and dipped in kaya (coconut jam) and ones that are salty and filled with chestnuts, fatty pig, mushrooms and cowpeas. They are browner in color when compared to the canton version because of the seasoning.
They are super delicious though! 🙂
Mmmmmmm! Look so tasty! Must try some of this! Thanks Jean!
Zoe xxxx
Yummmm I love zong zi, especially the ones with the fatty pork with the big chunk of fat that dissolves after boiling, though I'm pretty picky about my zong zi fillings- I like the Shanghai style the best, the one that my late grandma used to make- just soy sauce sticky rice with fatty meat and sometimes some shiitake mushrooms, because I really don't like the mung bean or mini dried shrimp in the cantontese style ones, I always pick them out.
And the lobster noodles? That's how my father in law makes them (he's Cantonese) except that he adds some kind of cream to the noodles so they have a really rich cream sauce, and then the scallion/ginger stir fried lobster pieces are mixed in. Personally I think it's kind of messy, and I prefer my lobster steamed and dipped in butter, but I can't be too picky when my in-laws cook for us! haha 🙂 Loved this post, Jean! Totally going to go home and eat my leftover zong zi in the fridge later! 🙂
love your blog! 😀
http://elarmariodelanena.blogspot.com/
This looks amazing! I've never tried this dish before but it does make me want to experiment with Cantonese cooking. Great tutorial!
Hi!
Love seeing the recipes, it looks delicious…just a technical question, for your first photo (I know it says it in your about section but I wanted to confirm) – was it taken with a 50mm 1.8f lens? Love the photos in this blog!
I am so glad you put up these recipes!! I can't wait to try making my own zong or "chinese tamale". My grandma always scolds me for not liking the fatty pork because she insists it is the best part but I just hate how it tastes!! Anyway, thank you for sharing your recipes and I hope you will share more in the future!
My mouth is watering just reading this post. Thanks for sharing these recipes, Jean! I am not familiar with zong zi but definitely will give the lobster recipe a try. You know husband doesn't eat anything other than chicken so I might have a full plate to myself =)
Thanks for sharing! Jean, do you think the lobster recipe would work with frozen lobster tails (defrosted first of course)
So very very hungry now 🙂 Pinning to try soon!
http://www.olivedoesthecity.com
They both look mouth-watering! Being Vietnamese, we actually have a few dishes that are very similar to these.
An
http://thestylerx.com
they look so yummy. I love dumplings but my cooking and wrapping skills are not advanced enough to make those myself 🙁 I have seen my mother-in-law make it and looks easy but when I tried to wrap it myself, it is a totally different story.
Jean,
Thanks for the lovely food post. I will definitely be trying these. I love to cook (especially for my two little ones) and this will be my first attempt at Cantonese food. The joong is similar to Mexican tamales in concept!
I just caught up on some of your recent posts and, in response to your comfy shoe recommendation request, I have to say that some Clarks are actually comfy and stylish (though I have some mature-lady looking pairs that are great when you don't care so much about style–as when taking a walk around the neighborhood!). You just have to keep looking at their offerings and some more stylish ones will come up occasionally–especially from the Artisan and Indigo lines (and the Privo line for more sporty options). I wore a pair of Clarks Artisan platform sandals for three weeks in France and Spain with no problems, and I have very sensitive feet.
I also just bought a new pair of loafers at Canadian store Brownsshoes.com. I had given up on comfy-right-out-of-the-box, non-comfort brand shoes since my trusty rubber-soled Ferragamo and Prada loafers purchased years ago until a sales associate recommended these to me the other day. The new Wishbone line is exclusive to Browns and is of quite decent quality for the price. Have a look. I would be happy to pick up a pair for you.
As for the other shoes in this line, I really wanted the bow ballet flat in classic Chanel-look beige and black, but the elastic bothered the back of one of my heels. The leather toe slides were comfy, as were the plastic flip flops (which I also bought). The shiny logo adds a bit of chicness to the look, and I actually like that it is an elegant-looking logo that no one will know about!
As for fit, I have regular-width feet, but narrower than most of my small-footed girlfriends. I wear a 5 or 5.5 and took these in the latter. I can tell they may get loose with wear, but I can add a Dr. Scholl's support liner in these when that happens. The good thing is they actually stayed on my heels without hurting. Usually my heels slip out of most shoes.
http://www.brownsshoes.com/FORTUNAA/206223,default,pd.html?dwvar_206223_color=093#scrollTo=3&q;=wishbone&start;=3
Thanks for the great posts, as always!
Nancy in Quebec City
I LOVE joong and I LOVE lobster!! Thank you for sharing these recipes and beautiful pictures!
I am so thankful that my mom can make these yummy meals for us, but I really do need to start learning on my own. Am bookmarking this to supplement Mom's teachings 🙂
This comment has been removed by the author.
Looks amazingly delicious! I would eat the screen right now if I could :/
What a wonderful post. A walk down memory lane. I love zong zi. My mom had some in her fridge (I didn't take any) yesterday when we went over to Father's Day dinner. I have to learn to make them like my mom and grandmothers. Unfortunately, my children haven't acquired the taste for them. Love your food posts. Please do more 🙂
Drools! Your post brings back such fond childhood memories. My mom used to make her own zong zi, too. They're a bit high maintenance to eat for me (too messy having to untie the string and unwrap the leaves before eating, haha) so I don't have them often. Like you though, once having mom's, I just can't eat store-bought or other people's any more. I remember my mom would sit on the floor in front of the oven to make them. She'd loop the strings around the oven's handle so she can use it as leverage to tie the zong zi really tight. I think it's to get the triangular pointy-shape that I thought was so cool as a kid. Like your little brother, I preferred pizza and burgers, but the unique shape of the zong zi definitely made eating more fun as a child.
The few times a month that I go home to visit my parents, I also request my mom's cooking! As of late I've been craving her mi fan/dong fan soup. She puts in all sorts of toppings and the broth is just meaty. So hearty and good. I haven't been able to find it at restaurants.
OMG these look so good, I am saving these for sure.
Thanks so much for recipes. You and Nick are so too cute ♥ When you have a chance, could you also please share your steamed egg recipe? Thankie 🙂
I love zong zi! We make ours with mung beans, pork belly, chinese sausage and salted egg yolks. I remember as a child, I would make my mom mix the mung beans in with the rice because I didn't like eating just the mung beans XD We wrap ours slightly differently from yours.
And for the lobster, we usually serve it on top of glass noodles. It soaks up all the sauce and becomes super flavourful. Yum!
oh i love joong! my mom just made a big batch. my favorite part is the cooked peanuts. i never eat raw peanuts because cooked is way better.
Yum!! Other than salmon, I have no other experience with seafood in the kitchen. Love the apron you made for your mom years back. Glad you guys had a fun father's day. I much prefer staying at home cooking than going out to a crowded restaurant.
Although banana leaves are frequently used for cooking with steam, the leaves Jean used are indeed bamboo leaves, not banana. 🙂
Hi Jean, those are banana leaves — not bamboo leaves. I'm Cantonese and can 100% guarantee you that zong zi are made with banana leaves and the ones you've used are also banana leaves. Banana leaves are large and wide, whereas bamboo leaves are small and narrow.
My other half is Chinese and he has been taking notes on how to make some of his favorite dishes. A lot of them are dishes that I've never had, but to me they are amazing and I feel that he makes it with a lot of love. I agree with the post above that asian cooking doesn't really use a standard measuring system. My boyfriend always just says…"A little of this…a little of that" while I just stand there with a look of confusion.
I think passing down recipes verbally are very important. Sometimes..just following written recipes aren't the same.
Thanks for sharing!
-Jenn
SnappyLemon.com
wow… these recipes look so delicious! thank you for sharing; hope you don't mind my stealing your family's recipes!
YES I LOVE FOOD POSTS! 🙂 I'm ethnically Chinese, but culturally Hawaiian and Taiwanese, but living with my boyfriend, whose family is Cantonese, needless to say, I've been exposed to lots of delicious foods! I'm not a fan of lobster, but my boy is, and I adore zhong zi. The funny thing about Asian cooking, my boyfriend told me, is that there's not really a standard measuring system for certain things–a dash of this, a pinch of that–so your recipes are definitely very helpful! Very excited to try these two out; please post more in the future! 🙂
xo,
Sabrina
http://www.rougespark.com
Hello, I love your blog, but also very much enjoy when you go off-clothing-topic and do personal stuff like this. Please do more. So important to share your culture and your travels.
Did you and your family make zongzi especially for Duanwu Jie or is it a year-round dish in your family? It looks like a good recipe! Thanks for sharing. Any chance that you know how to make a good sugar and vinegar pork spareribs dish (糖醋排骨) and have a recipe to share? 🙂
By the way, I remember previously you mentioned that you speak mainly Mandarin but very little Cantonese. Is your family from a different province but then moved to Guangdong? If so, does your family still make mainly Cantonese dishes? My family is very mixed and my mom has "invented" various cross-province Chinese dishes. (Also, how do you manage to read Chinese when you came here at age 5?)
I LOVE zong zi. My parents make a big batch and stock my freezer with them whenever they come to visit. I agree that after having home-cooked ones, the store-bought ones just don't cut it! I often make the noodle dish with prawns instead of lobster for a more inexpensive and easier option!
I haven't had any zong zi for eons since leaving my motherland. Now you've got me craving for some and I'm not quite as adventurous or rather, just lazy to make some for myself. Oh well…
Also, having lived in Boston for a year, I sure miss the fresh lobsters there! Thanks for sharing both recipes!
Thank you so much for the recipes and pictures. I'm Cantonese-American, and my grandparents cooked Cantonese style but never had recipes. I regret not writing down directions for making many of the family favorites. When I try to re-create what I grew up eating, it never tastes the same.
My late grandfather was the chef for our extended family. Saturday dinner at my grandparents' was always a Cantonese style feast at their table with a lazy susan in the middle. My grandfather would single handedly cook about 10 different dishes, and he managed to put everything piping hot onto the table at the same moment. I have enough trouble jugging 3 Chinese dishes without the first one turning cold!
Ahhhh!!! I love Zong Zi. They're my favorite food ever that my Mom makes and along with dumplings and some bao zi, my Mom always makes them for me when I go home. I like mine with Chinese sausage pieces and my Mom always mixes in lots of soy sauce and mushrooms in with the sticky rice. If you're in a time pinch, you can always just layer a steamer basket with soaked bamboo leaves (cut to size) and then make a sticky rice mixture and just steam the rice. You get the same flavors, just not the same packaging. Loved this post and your scalloped dress post (if only I had time to make my own–maybe after the Bar Exam is over).
PS: I'm glad your man is good at wrapping zong zi, my boyfriend's skill is at rolling out dumpling wrappers. =D
These look so yummy! I love them both! I only really started appreciating eating and enjoying Asian food and Mom's cooking when I started living away from home. Will be attempting that lobster noodle dish! 😀