Easy Rice Dumpling (Zong) (粽)

If, like me, you can't be bothered with the fiddly wrapping of rice dumpling in bamboo leaves or the long cooking process, you may wish to try out my Easy Rice Dumpling. In this recipe, I cooked the pork first and then fry the glutinous rice with the pork, before cooking the lot in a rice cooker. It is fast cooking and the rice dumpling tastes just as good as those wrapped in bamboo leaves, in my opinion. Here is my recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup glutinous rice (washed and drained)

• 2 strips of streaky pork (belly pork) (cut into thick slices)

• 2 dried Chinese mushrooms (rehydrate by soaking in boiling water and sliced)

• 1 clove garlic (minced)

• 1 tablespoon fried onion

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

• 2 cups of water

METHOD

1. Heat cooking oil till hot, add garlic and fry till fragrant.

2. Add pork strips and fry till brown.

3. Add salt, dark soya sauce, five spice powder and sugar and fry for 5 mins.

4. Add Chinese mushroom and 1 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes till pork is tender.

5. Add drained glutinous rice and fried onion. Fry till the rice absorb the dark soya sauce.

6. Put the fried mixture into a rice cooker and add 1 cup of water.

7. Cook the rice in the rice cooker. When cooking is done, test to see if the rice is cooked. If the rice is hard and wet, start the rice cooker again. I find that going through the cooking process twice produces fluffy, tender glutinous rice.

8. Once completed, scoop rice with pork and mushroom into a rice bowl. Press on the rice with a spatula to compact the rice.

9. Use the spatula to run round the edge befoore unmolding onto a plate. Serve with your favourite chilli sauce.