Jujube Zongzi recipe for a tasty Dragon Boat Festival

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Zongzi, or sticky rice dumpling, is a staple on Chinese dining tables during the Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

This year's event falls on Monday, and people across the country are rolling up their sleeves to make various versions of this symbolic food item.

Sticky rice dumplings are made from glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. The fillings can range from the savory, like pork and salted duck eggs, to the sweet, such as red dates and red bean paste.

A sticky rice dumpling with fillings of pork, salted duck egg and corn. /VCG Photo

Innovation and changing tastes have led to a growing variety of fillings available for the festival, but jujube remains a mainstay, and one of the most traditional and classic stuffings.

Despite people's appetite for jujube Zongzi, it's a bitter fact that only a few know how to make it. I visited the Friendship Kitchen in Beijing to sharpen my culinary wizardry, and learn a new lip-smacking recipe.

"Traditionally, when making jujube Zongzi, people put the entire red dates in the sticky rice. But we chop the dates and mix the pieces with honey beans, so elevate the taste and make it more exquisite," Chef Lin Jinyan told CGTN.

A traditional jujube Zongzi with fillings made of entire red dates. /VCG Photo

Filling made of chopped dates and honey beans. /CGTN Photo

A chef makes a jujube sticky rice dumpling. /CGTN Photo

Preparation work is more time-consuming that making the filling.

"The sticky rice must be soaked for at least a whole tonight. Otherwise, it’ll be very hard to be cooked. Meanwhile, the bamboo leaves must be soaked as well," Liu added.

A done a jujube sticky rice dumpling made by the Friendship Kitchen. /CGTN Photo

Another tip to make a delicious jujube Zongzi is to add a bit of water when wrapping the soaked rice with the bamboo leaves. This way, the rice and filling can "better mix together" and the rice will taste softer, according to Liu.

Watch the video at the top for a step-by-step guide to making jujube Zongzis. But a word of advice: Go easy on your stomach as Zongzi is not easy to digest!

(Video made by Huang Yichang)

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