Be My Dumpling

Duanwu Jie, a photo by williamnyk on Flickr.

It's the Duanwu Festival today-- the time for glutionous rice dumplings aka zongzi. Basically, one can eat 'em all year round, but for the sake of tradition, we like to jostle for it once a year at ballooned prices. Of all the varieties out there, my favourite is the ham yuk zong. Definitely with meat. Vegetarian versions don't cut it. Must be savoury. Salty (nyonya zong? sweet meat... tak sedap!). Although I don't eat the fatty bits, I feel that the oil that comes out is important to make the zong moist and fragrant. But I don't eat any old ham yuk zong, I prefer those with kidney beans. Green beans just doesn't do it for me. Other than that, chestnuts and salted egg yolk are pre-requisites for me. Dried shrimp or oysters are a plus. They do add a special flavour to it, but to me it's not a must-have. I also cannot accept jianshui zong. My mum loves it. Never a fan. Just tastes wrong... chemical-y. Heh. I really wonder if lye water is safe for consumption. This year, mum also found a ten-grain zong in the market. Less fattening with a higher GI. Not a bad alternative. So far, I have not tried the premium zong that are offered by hotels and restaurants. Perhaps one day someone will treat me. ;P.

So, what's your favourite zong?