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Kitchen Essentials

This is the zhong I grew up eating. It's on the simpler side, as is common for southern Chinese variants, and is best enjoyed with a light drizzle of soy sauce.

These zhong are not difficult to make, but they require a lot of prep work and time, so most people will opt to make a large batch of these at once and share with friends and family. Plan ahead and clear a full day to make this recipe. You’ll also need to do a small amount of prep work the night before you start. 

These keep in the fridge for 2-3 days, but also freeze extremely well (which is how I was able to eat my grandmother's zhong in California, frozen and packed away in my mom's luggage on our way back from visiting family in NYC). To reheat either from refrigerated or frozen: I take the lazy route and wrap these in a damp paper towel, then microwave on a microwave-proof plate for 2-3 minutes (refrigerated) or 5-7 minutes (frozen).

My Popo's Zhong (Southern Chinese Style)

The night before cooking: submerge bamboo leaves under room temperature water in a large basin or dish (a foil roasting pan can work well for this).

uncooked sweet rice (also called sticky rice — short/medium grain, *not* long grain Thai style)

The morning of: prep your ingredients. In 4 separate bowls, soak mung beans, shiitake mushrooms, rice, and chestnuts in room temperature water.

The morning of: marinate pork. Combine cornstarch in a medium sized bowl or ziploc bag with a few tablespoons of water (you don't have to be precise). Mix until there are no lumps and add additional water if the mixture is too thick (it should be pretty watery). Add dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce and mix to combine. Add the pork, coat each piece in marinade, and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour, and up to overnight.

Bring a very large pot, or multiple smaller pots, of water to a boil.

Drain bamboo leaves and then refill the basin with fresh water. Wipe each leaf with a clean cloth or sponge on both sides. Remove any leaves that have obvious tears in them, and set aside.

Start assembling the zhong: drain the water from the chestnuts, mung beans, rice, and shiitakes. Rinse the rice once or twice, then drain again, add the salt, and mix well. The best way to tell if you've added enough salt is to taste the raw rice at your discretion. The flavor should be slightly over-salted at this step. Remove and discard the stem of the shiitakes and slice the top of the mushroom into strips.

Create a cone with 2 bamboo leaves (reference video for folding steps), then fill each with layers of ingredients: 2-3 Tbsp of rice, then 1-2 Tbsp mung bean, 1 piece of egg yolk, a strip of pork, 1 chestnut, and piece of mushroom. Top with a final layer of 2-3 Tbsp rice.

Fold and tie the zhong well, but not *too* tight, as these will expand during cooking. The string should not be squeezing the leaves or making depressions, but the bundle should be firm and secure. 

Place zhong in boiling water, top with a large heatproof plate or smaller pot lid to keep the zhong submerged, and ensure the water returns to a vigorous boil. Cover the pot with its lid. Boil for 30 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook for another 3 hours. Remove zhong and enjoy day of or see reheating instructions above.

lap cheong (Chinese dried sausage), sliced into 1/2" thick strips on the diagonal