Chef Kar Delight

Dragon Boat Festival 2025

Kar Zongzi Sat 05/31/2025

Dragon Boat Festival 2025：Kar Zongzi

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

This year, Dragon Boat Festival falls on Saturday May 31, 2025. I already prepared 4 kinds of creative Kar Zongzi to share with my friends.

Kar Guozheng Zong

Guozheng Zong 裹蒸糭 is a specialty of Zhaoqing , Guangdong province 廣東肇慶, China. It was once accepted as a food in the Palace. It used winter leaves to wrap and waterweed to pack to the shape of a pillow. Ingredients were glutinous rice, mung beans, 5 spices lean and fatty pork, packing in the proportion 10:6:4 like a parcel. It was big in size and boiling in water for more than 8 hours.

Guozheng Zong is puffy. Winter leaves have special fragrance and excellent preservative function. Zhaoqing people use it as a gift when visiting relatives in Lunar New year, meaning abundance, prosperity, and luck.

Nowadays, there are many types of Guozheng Zong, catering for different kinds of people. This time, I used fillings including Abalone, Mushroom chicken, Chuhou beef shank, salty duck egg yolk, dried shrimps, Daylily, Shiitake mushroom, Oyster mushroom, Crimini mushroom etc.

Guozheng Zong literally means steamed parcel Zong; therefore, the shape of a package should look like a pillow and the cooking method should be steamed by water.

▲ 1. Abalone Guozheng Zong

溏心鮑魚裹蒸糭

Abalone and dried shrimp give out taste of the sea. Addition of Oyster mushroom enhances fresh taste.

Ingredients
Main ingredients: glutinous rice, peeled mung beans
Fillings: Abalones, dried shrimps, Oyster mushrooms
Marinade: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sake wine, ginger mashed, onion mashed, garlic mashed, Bay leaves, chicken stock, rock sugar
Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string
Dipping sauce: marinade, garlic, onion, ginger, rock sugar, salt, corn starch + water, oil

Method
1. Remove flesh of abalone from the shell by sliding a short-bladed knife around the edge, between the flesh and the shell, cutting the flesh from the shell. Pull the flesh out of the shell and remove the mouth. Slice the guts from the flesh and discard. Sprinkle some salt on the flesh and brush with a tooth brush to remove dirt. Use tap water to rinse. Put the cleaned abalones in a stainless steel bowl. Add marinade to cover the abalones completely. Place the bowl with abalones and marinade in a steamer at extemely low fire. Braise the abalones 3 to 4 days until soft and tender. Keep the braised abalones in marinade in a fridge for 1 day. Soak dried shrimps in a bowl of cold water for half a day. Wash Oyster mushroom with tap water and cut into long slices.
2. Separately, wash glutinous rice and mung beans with cold water; separately soak glutinous rice and mung beans in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water.
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 tablespoons of glutinous rice on the center of the leaves to make 5" x 3" rectangular shape, 1 tablespoon of mung beans scattered over the rice; 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, ginger, fry to fragrant; add marinade, sugar, salt, mix well; add corn starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce.
2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 2. Mushroom Chicken Guozheng Zong

  冬菇雞裹蒸糭

Shiitake mushroom is fragrant and a perfect pair with fresh taste of chicken.  Daylily contains  many necessary nutrients for a human body, particulary, iron content is double that of spinach. It has functions as forgetting your worries, helping to sleep peacefully, and aiding digestion. When salty duck egg yolk is added, the dish becomes more yummy and has special Therapeutic effect.

Ingredients
Main ingredients: glutinous rice, black glutinous rice, peeled mung beans
Fillings: chicken thigh or breast, Shiitake mushroom , dried Daylily, onion, salty duck egg yolks
Marinade: soy sauce, oyster sauce, Huadiao Shaoxing wine 花雕, ginger mashed, onion mashed, garlic mashed, Bay leaves, cumin powder, chicken stock
Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string
Dipping sauce: marinade, soaked water of mushroom and Daylily, garlic, onion, ginger, sugar, salt, corn starch + water, oil

Method
1. Separately, wash glutinous rice, black glutinous rice and mung beans with cold water; separately, soak glutinous rice, black glutinous rice and mung beans in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water.
Soak mushrooms, Daylily for 2 hours; keep soaked water of mushrooms and Daylily for making dipping sauce later
2. Put chicken in marinade for 5 hours. Pour chicken and marinade into a pot under low fire to braise until cooked. Keep the marinade for making dipping sauce.  Cook salty duck egg in hot water until well done, remove shell and white, keep yolk for fillings.
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 2.5 tablespoon of black glutinous rice and  2.5 tablespoon of glutinous rice on the center of the leaves to make 5" x 3" rectangular shape, 1 tablespoon of mung beans scattered over the rice; stack up fillings on the center of rice; lastly, put another half portion of glutinous rice and black glutinous 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, ginger, fry to fragrant; add marinade, soaked water of mushroom and Daylily, sugar, salt, mix well; add corn starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce.
2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

▲ 3. Chuhou Beef Shank Guozheng Zong

柱侯牛𦟌裹蒸糭

Chuhou sauce originated from Foshan, Guangdong 廣東佛山, is made of soybean, garlic, ginger, tangerine peel, salt, sugar, sesame and light soy sauce. It is mainly used for meat dish such as braised beef brisket and beef shank.

Chuhou beef shank is made of fresh beef shank, Chuhou marinade sauce as main ingredients, suffusing an exquisite aroma all around. If you have eaten it once, you would return to look for the taste.

Ingredients
Main ingredients: glutinous rice, black glutinous rice, peeled mung beans
Fillings: beef shank, Crimini Mushroom, carrot, tangerine peel, onion, salty duck egg yolk
Marinade: 5 spices powder, tangerine peel, fermented black beans, fermented bean paste, black pepper, sesame, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Huadiao Shaoxing wine 花雕, ginger, garlic, onion, fermented bean curd, rock sugar, water
Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string
Dipping sauce: marinade, tangerine peel water,  ginger, garlic, onion, sugar, salt, corn starch + water, oil

Method
1. Separately, wash glutinous rice, black glutinous rice and mung beans with cold water; separately, soak glutinous rice, black glutinous rice and mung beans in water for 2 hours until swollen; drain out the water.
Soak tangerine peel in water for 2 hours until soft; keep the tangerine peel water for making dipping sauce.
2. Put beef brisket in marinade for 5 hours. Pour beef brisket, tangerine peel and marinade into a pot to braise until cooked and tender. Keep marinade for making dipping sauce. Cook salty duck egg in hot water until well done, remove shell and white, keep yolk for fillings
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 2.5 tablespoon of black glutinous rice and  2.5 tablespoon of glutinous rice on the center of the leaves to make 5" x 3" rectangular shape, 1 tablespoon of mung beans scattered over the rice; stack up fillings on the center of rice; lastly, put another half portion of glutinous rice and black glutinous 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, ginger, fermented black bean, fry to fragrant; add marinade, tangerine peel water, tangerine peel, sugar, salt, mix well; add corn starch mixed with water to thicken the sauce.
2. Strain the sauce by a sieve.

Kar Lye Water Zong

Alkaline Zong (鹼糉 ), in Hong Kong called Lye Water Zong (鹼水糉), in Taiwan called Kinn-tsàng or giˊ zung（焿糉）. It is a kind of zongzi whose rice grains are slightly sticky and tastes like rice cake or pudding（粿）。Normally it does not have filling and without taste. It is dipped in sugar to eat. It might have red bean filling. It can be seen in Asia such as Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Tailand, Indonesia during Dragon Boast Festival. It can also be seen in Japan.

Lye Water/Alkaline Water

To add lye water to zongzi because:

1. To enhance taste; when lye water is added, the rice can be easier cooked and overcooked.

2. Its colour looks better; when lye water is added, the rice becomes yellow and gives more colour.

3. More convenient to keep; if lye water is not added, rice can be easily spoiled.

Pure white glutinous rice can make the softest and smooth lye water zong. The quantity of lye water must be controlled properly. 1 catty (斤) of glutinous rice mix with 1 liang (兩) lye water. Too much lye water, taste will be pungent; too little, taste will be not smooth enough.

To add lye water to glutinous rice, ratio is 1% to 3% of glutinous rice.

For example: glutinous rice 500 g, rye water 1 table spoon.

If you cannot find lye water, you can make it yourself.

《Self Made Alkaline Water》：

baking soda 2 teaspoon + water 200ml，

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

▲ 4. Red Bean & Lotus Seeds Lye Water Zong

紅豆蓮子鹼水糭

Red Bean & Lotus seeds Lye Water Zong owns the taste of Red Bean & Lotus Soup beloved by the people in Hong Kong. It emanates the fragrance of bamboo leaves, sweetness of glutinous rice, fragrance of lotus seeds and aroma of tangerine peel.

Main ingredient: Glutinous rice, Lye water (Yuet Heung Yuen) or Baking soda （Arm & Hammer)+Water
Fillings: red beans, lotus seeds, tangerine peels (Chenpi), rock sugar, slab sugar
Wrapping: bamboo leaves, string
Dipping sauce: maple syrup or corn syrup

Method:
1. Wash glutinous rice with cold water, soak glutinous rice for 1 to 2 hours until swollen; drain well, add lye water to rice and mix well, wait for it to turn yellow. Glutinous rice with added lye water can be kept aside for 1 to 2 hours to make it more tasty. Before wrapping, oil can be added to rice so that it becomes smoother and prevent it from sticking to the leaves.
2. First steam red beans until half cooked and then crush them. Soak tangerine peels in water until soft and slice them. Mix both ingredients well and shape into a ball, insert 1 or 2 fresh or soaked lotus seeds in the center.
3. Wash bamboo leaves with water and poach them in hot water.
4. Wrapping:
First put 2 bamboo leaves side by side parallel together. The smooth sides are facing up, fold it to a funnel shape. The sharp leaf side should be longer than the other side. It is used to seal the opening. Put half soaked glutinous rice into the tip of the funnel. Put a ball of fillings into the center. Lastly put half soaked glutinous rice to the top covering the fillings. Fold the short side of the leaves to cover the rice. Use the long side of the leaves to seal completely. Make it look like a pyramid shape. Tie up with a string, but not too tight because rice will expand when it is cooked.

5. Steam:
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 steam oven or compartment steamer to cook well done.