Dragon Boat Festival 龍舟節

Dragon Boat Festival 龍舟節

Today is Dragon Boat Festival 龍舟節 also known Duan Wu Festival 端午節. However, the original reason for the festival has nothing to do with dragons or boats. Rather in memorial of the poet Qu Yuan (343-290 B.C.).

Every year on 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calender Chinese people eat rice dumplings to remember a poet that died over 2000 years ago.

Qu Yuan was a highly-respected, trusted advisor to the king until the king became corrupt and banished Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan was so distraught he started writing poems about the corruption of the government. Finally he could no longer take it and threw himself into the Mi Lo River in protest.

Local people had come to love Qu Yuan, and unsuccessfully searched the river for his body. Desperate to prevent the fish from chomping his body, the villages threw in lumps of rice wrapped in bamboo leaves (zhong zi) 粽子.

Over time these rice dumplings (zhong zi) 粽子 have evolved and become many different sizes and shapes. Also, now there are a wide range of fillings. One thing that hasn't changed is that they are still wrapped with bamboo leaves.

Bak Chang 粽子 Recipes

Bak Chang 粽子 Recipes


Bak Chang 粽子 Ingredients:

1. Bamboo leaf 80 pcs
2. Pork (cut into cubes) 1500 g
3. Mushroom (sliced) 100 g
4. Chestnut (cooked) 250 g
5. Dried shrimp 150 g
6. Shallot 80 g
7. Garlic 80 g
8. Glutinous rice (soaked in water for 4 hours) 2000 g

Bak Chang 粽子 Filling Mix:

1. Parsley powder 2 dsp
2. Soy sauce 3 dsp
3. Dark soy sauce 3 dsp
4. Pepper 1 dsp
5. Gourmet powder 1 dsp
6. Salt 1 dsp
7. Five-spice powder 1 dsp
8. Sugar 2 dsp

For Glutinous Rice:
Garlic oil - 4 tbsp, Pepper - 1 dsp, Gourmet powder - 1 dsp, Dark soy sauce - 1 dsp

Bak Chang 粽子 Method:
1. Mix glutinous rice with seasoning. Steam for 30 mins.

2. Heat wok and fry shallots, garlic, dried shrimps till fragrant. Add in mushroom, pork and seasoning. Fry till fragrant. Finally, add in chestnuts and mix well.

3. Fold 2 pieces of bamboo leaves to enclose rice and filling. Fold into dumpling shape and tie them. Boil for 2 hours.