Chef Kar Delight

Kar Zongzi 3 of 3 Monday 2024/06/10

Dragon Boat Festival Special：

Kar Zongzi 3 of 3

This year Dragon Boat Festival is on Monday June 10, 2024. I shall prepare 15 kinds of creative Kar Zongzi to share with my friends. I am going to take photos of these Zongzis and publish them in 3 parts.

Wrapping and eating zong are traditions of Dragon Boat Festival on May 5 lunar calendar.

3 kinds of brand new Kar Zong:

Part 1: Kar Lye Water Zong Already published

Part 2: Kar Guo Zheng Zong Already published

Part 3: Kar Seafood Zong Now

Part 3: Kar Seafood Zong

Seafood is my most favorite. Let it integrate with zong. When you eat it, you will have a taste of the sea. I selected lobster, salmon, tuna, dace and mackerel for the fillings. I used the method of wrapping Guo Zeng Zong, and spread various dipping sauces on zong. It was yummy!

Seniors and people with diabetes are not suitable to eat glutinous rice. Therefore, I used Japanese Sushi rice or American long grain rice in lieu of glutinous rice. Hence, everyone is eating safely.

Seafood Zong should be prepared now and eat immediately. When it is hot from the steaming pot, it will taste fresh of the sea. If it is recooked, taste of freshness will vanish, and nutrition and taste will be lost. It will become fishy too. It is not suitable to eat cold and keep it overnight.

Steaming Tips

For steaming any ingredients, temperature, water content and time should be managed properly.
Different types of rice such as glutinous rice, long grain rice, short grain rice or sushi rice, water to rice ratio is roughly 1-1.5 to 1. Too little water, rice will be half cooked. Too much

water, it will become soggy. Zong leaves are heat resistant and water proof. Heat and water cannot easily penetrate to rice and fillings. If fire is too high, rice is cooked but fillings may still not fully cooked. Slow fire to braise normally will take 4 to 8 hours. Cooking time for ingredients such as beef brisket, mushrooms, black fungus, bamboo shots and dried bean curd will take longer to cook than rice. Therefore, it should be braised in low fire. If ingredients are precooked well done first, and then wrap, their taste may not be infused into

rice and nutrition can be lost.
Zong with different ingredients such as Lye Water Zong, Guo Zheng Zong or Salty Meat Zong, methods of steaming are different. When Lye water is added to glutinous rice, it can be cooked quicker than glutinous rice without lye water.

Time for steaming Seafood Zong cannot be too long. Otherwise, seafood will become tough and rice will become soggy. Basically, steaming in high fire for half an hour, rice and seafood will be cooked at the same time. Water in the steaming bowl should be completely absorbed by rice. The taste of all ingredients and zong leaves will be infused into rice. Taste will be extremely good.

《 Ingredients & Condiments 》on the bottom page

▲ 1. Lobster Seafood Zong

Lobsters are malacostracans of the family Nephropidae (synonym Homaridae). They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate.

Commercially important species include two species of Homarus from the northern Atlantic Ocean and scampi (which look more like a shrimp, or a "mini lobster") the Northern Hemisphere genus Nephrops and the Southern Hemisphere genus Metanephrops. Although several other groups of crustaceans have the word "lobster" in their names, the unqualified term "lobster" generally refers to the clawed lobsters of the family Nephropidae. Clawed lobsters are not closely related to spiny lobsters or slipper lobsters, which have no claws (chelae), or to squat lobsters. The most similar living relatives of clawed lobsters are the reef lobsters and the three families of freshwater crayfish.

The American lobster (Homarus americanus) is a species of lobster found on the Alantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. It is also known as Atlantic lobster, Canadian lobster, true lobster, northern lobster, Canadian Reds, or Maine lobster. It can reach a body length of 64 cm(25in), and a mass of over 20 kilogram(44 lb), making it not only the heaviest crustacean in the world, but also the heaviest of all living arthropod species. Its closest relatives is European lobster Homarus gammarius, which can be distinguished by its coloration and the lack of spines on the underside of the rostrum. American lobsters are usually bluish green to brown with red spines, but several color variations have been observed.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients: Nishiki Sushi Rice

Fillings: lobster meat, green papaya, Swiss Gruyère cheese, onion, garlic

Marinade: onion mashed, garlic mashed

Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string

Dipping sauce: tomato, onion, garlic, maple syrup, salt, water, corn starch + water, oil

Method

1. Wash sushi rice with cold water; soak it in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water

2. Marinate lobster meat with marinade for 3 hours

3. Wash bamboo leaves with water; poach bamboo leaves in hot water to become soft

4. Wrapping:

First place 3 bamboo leaves parallel together, bright side is facing up; put 5 tablespoon of sushi rice on the center of the leaves to make 5" x 3" rectangular shape; stack up fillings on the center of rice; lastly, put another half portion of rice on top to cover up the fillings, fold the leaves to make the shape of a pillow, tie up with a string, but not too tight because rice will expand when cooked

5. Steaming:

Put zongzi on a round stainless steel bowl or baking pan. Pour water to the bowl to cover the zongzi completely. Place the bowl into a steamer or compartment steamer to cook well done.

Making Dipping Sauce

1. Place a wok or pan over fire, add oil, garlic, onion, fry to fragrant; add tomato, water, salt, mix well; add corn starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce. Turn fire off. Finally add maple syrup and mix well.

2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 2. Salmon Seafood Zong

Salmon is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera Salmo and Oncorhynchus of the family Salmonidae, native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (Salmo) and North Pacific (Oncorhynchus) basins.

Salmon are important food fish and are intensively farmed in many parts of the world, with Norway being the world's largest producer of farmed salmon, followed by Chile.

Salmon is a popular food fish. Classified as an oily fish, salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, with a range of 23–214 mg/100 g depending on the species.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients: Nishiki Sushi Rice

Fillings: salmon meat, green papaya, celery, onion, garlic

Marinade: onion mashed, garlic mashed

Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string

Dipping sauce: mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, lemon juice

Method

1. Wash sushi rice with cold water; soak it in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water

2. Marinate salmon meat with marinade for 3 hours

3. Wash bamboo leaves with water; poach bamboo leaves in hot water to become soft

4. Wrapping:

5. Steaming:

Put zongzi on a round stainless steel bowl or baking pan. Pour water to the bowl to cover the zongzi completely. Place the bowl into a steamer or compartment steamer to cook well done.

Making Dipping Sauce

1. Put dipping sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 3. Tuna Seafood Zong

A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: 50 cm or 1.6 ft, weight: 1.8 kg or 4 lb) up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna (max length: 4.6 m or 15 ft, weight: 684 kg or 1,508 lb), which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.

Tribe Thunnini: tunasgenus Allothunnus: slender tunas
genus Auxis: frigate tunas
genus Euthynnus: little tunas
genus Katsuwonus: skipjack tunas
genus Thunnus: albacores and true tunas

subgenus Thunnus (Thunnus): bluefin group
subgenus Thunnus (Neothunnus): yellowfin group

Tuna are not a single species, but an entire group of fish containing over a dozen different fish. However, out of all the types of Tuna in the sea, only five make for a regular food option, at least in Western countries. These are Skipjack, Albacore, Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Bluefin Tuna.

Each of these five Tunas boasts a different texture of meat, a different color, and different taste.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients: Nishiki Sushi Rice

Fillings: Albacore Tuna Loin (Saku), Kabocha, onion, garlic

Marinade: onion mashed, garlic mashed, ginger mashed

Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string

Dipping sauce: mayonnaise, paprika/chili ,wasabi, maple syrup, salt, lemon juice

Method

1. Wash sushi rice with cold water; soak it in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water

2. Marinate tuna meat with marinade for 3 hours

3. Wash bamboo leaves with water; poach bamboo leaves in hot water to become soft

4. Wrapping:

5. Steaming:

Put zongzi on a round stainless steel bowl or baking pan. Pour water to the bowl to cover the zongzi completely. Place the bowl into a steamer or compartment steamer to cook well done.

Making Dipping Sauce

1. Put dipping sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 4. Dace Seafood Zong

Dace or mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella ) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Cirrhinus found mainly in southern China and Vietnam.

The mud carp is a native Asian freshwater fish with a broad distribution from the Mekong River to the Pearl River deltas, inhabiting lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
Mud carp cultivation was introduced to China during the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) as a substitute for common carp, as the common carp was forbidden to fish due to a ban.
The fish is sometimes canned (typically as fried dace with salted black beans) or processed as fish cakes, fish balls or dumplings. They can be found for retail sale within China and throughout the Chinese diaspora.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients: US Long Grain Rice, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda + water

Fillings: dace meat, black beans, Napa cabbage, bamboo shoot, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger

Marinade: onion mashed, garlic mashed, ginger mashed

Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string

Dipping sauce: black beans, onion, garlic, ginger, red chili, soy sauce, Huadiao Shaoxing wine 花雕, rock sugar, salt, water, corn starch + water, oil

Method

1. Make alkaline water: baking soda 2 teaspoon + water 200ml;

cook further in high fire for 5 minutes after water is boiling.

Wash long grain rice with cold water; soak it in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water. Add alkaline water to rice and mix well. Wait for it to turn yellow.

2. Marinate dace meat with marinade for 3 hours

3. Wash bamboo leaves with water; poach bamboo leaves in hot water to become soft

4. Wrapping:

5. Steaming:

Put zongzi on a round stainless steel bowl or baking pan. Pour water to the bowl to cover the zongzi completely. Place the bowl into a steamer or compartment steamer to cook well done.

Making Dipping Sauce

1. Place a wok or pan over fire, add oil, garlic, onion, ginger, black beans, red chili, fry to fragrant; add soy sauce, rock sugar, salt, water, Huadiao, mix well; add corn starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce.

2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 5. Mackerel Seafood Zong

Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment.

Mackerel is an important food fish that is consumed worldwide. As an oily fish, it is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients: US Long Grain Rice, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda + water

Fillings: mackerel meat, black beans, green papaya, Lo Bok Daikon, onion, garlic, ginger

Marinade: onion mashed, garlic mashed, ginger mashed

Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string

Dipping sauce: black beans, onion, garlic, ginger, red chili, soy sauce, Huadiao Shaoxing wine 花雕, rock sugar, salt, water, corn starch + water, oil

Method

1. Make alkaline water: baking soda 2 teaspoon + water 200ml，

cook further in high fire for 5 minutes after water is boiling.

Wash long grain rice with cold water; soak it in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water. Add alkaline water to rice and mix well. Wait for it to turn yellow.

2. Marinate mackerel meat with marinade for 3 hours

3. Wash bamboo leaves with water; poach bamboo leaves in hot water to become soft

4. Wrapping:

5. Steaming:

Put zongzi on a round stainless steel bowl or baking pan. Pour water to the bowl to cover the zongzi completely. Place the bowl into a steamer or compartment steamer to cook well done.

Making Dipping Sauce

2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.