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It’s very common to find savoury versions of the zongzi (rice dumplings or 粽子) in Southeast Asia, such as the classic Hokkien Bak Chang 福建咸肉粽 and the ever-so-popular Nyonya Rice Dumpling 娘惹粽. The only type of sweet rice dumplings I ever found is the kee chang aka alkaline dumpling, which is made of plain glutinous rice and lye water and served with honey.
In this gluten-free osmanthus red bean zongzi 桂花红豆粽子 recipe, the rice dumpling features a light floral aroma of the osmanthus flower, sweet candied chestnuts and homemade sweet red bean paste 红豆沙 (my favourite!). The taste exceeded my expectations as I didn’t think I’d like it as much as the savoury rice dumplings. Though the recipe is not as complicated as making savoury rice dumplings, making it still requires some time and effort, definitely a labour of love. Compared with savoury zongzi, this sweet version feels lighter and more delicate. The first bite reminds me of eating a sweet red bean Nyonya kueh.
What is zongzi?
Zongzi or rice dumpling is basically glutinous rice stuffed with savoury or sweet fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves, then boiled over a long period of time.
The Chinese name is ‘zongzi’ (粽子), the Hokkiens call it ‘Chang’ in their local dialect, while the Cantonese calls it ‘joong’ in native language.
The origin of zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival
It’s a yearly tradition since the ancient times, the Chinese will make this during the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan (屈原), an ancient Chinese poet and aristocrat during the Warring States period. According to the legend, Qu Yuan committed suicide in the Miluo River in todya’s Hunan Province, said in extreme despair of the political situation in Chu. To prevent fishes and evil spirits from consuming his body, the villagers beat drums and splashed the water with their paddles. They also threw rice into the river as a food offering to Qu Yuan’s spirit and also to distract the fish away from his body. This became the cultural tradition of dragon boat racing, signifying a race to search for his body in boats and rice dumplings became the signature food of the Dragon Boat Festival 端午节·
Beyond the legend, zongzi has come to represent family togetherness. Families often prepare or share it as a gesture of goodwill, and the act of wrapping each dumpling can feel like preserving tradition by hand. Today, making or eating zongzi is still a way to connect with heritage, especially during festival season.
Tips on making the red bean zongzi
- I bought the dried bamboo leaves and strings from NTUC. Many dried good provision stores also sell them. Do take note that the leaves and the strings are sold separately. The bamboo leaves and strings need to be hydrated before using. For the leaves, soak for 2 hours, then boil over high heat for 30 minutes. For the strings, soak for one hour before use. The bamboo leaves are actually still quite dirty even after soaking and boiling, so wipe it with a clean cloth. It’s important to keep the leaves and string moist. Otherwise the leaves will break when you wrap the dumplings.
- I have always pre-cook the glutinous rice before wrapping. It makes wrapping much easier as the loose raw rice will not fall all over the place during wrapping. In this recipe, the rice is raw which makes handling it and holding it in place in the bamboo leaves a bit more tricky. Also soaking the rice for a long time and pre-cooking the rice means you do not have to boil the rice for too long.
- The rice is mixed with unrefined brown sugar and some oil, to add some grease and flavour to the rice.
- The osmanthus floral taste is not very strong in the cooked dumpling, probably due of long hours of cooking. I’ll try in my next round of cooking to change out the osmanthus tea leaves every 45 minutes.
- The zongzi tastes much better after 24 hours of cooking as the time allows for the flavour to develop.
- I made my own sweet red bean paste in just 30 minutes, it’s a hack using pre-cooked canned red bean that I got from Donki.
- Adding the candied chestnuts is a nice touch, the pre-cooked candied version means I don’t have to spend more time soaking and cooking it and it taste pretty good!
- This recipe makes about 10 zongzi in smaller portions.
- When tying the knot around the zongzi, be sure not to tie it too tight. The rice will expand during boiling and the last thing you want is for the rice and filling to burst out of the bamboo leaves.
How to store red bean zongzi
Cooked zongzi can be left in the room temperature environment for up to 2 days.
For longer storage, simply chill it in the fridge for up to 7 days. To serve, just steam on high heat for 5 minutes or microwave for 2 minutes.
To keep it longer for up to 3 months, keep it in the freezer wrapped in a plastic bag or box. Don’t need to thaw when ready to consume. Just reheat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, or steam it for about 10-15 minutes on high heat.
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Osmanthus Red Bean Zong Zi 桂花红豆粽子 (Sweet Sticky Rice Dumpling)
Ingredients
Rice
- 300 g glutinous rice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp osmanthus tea leaves, for soaking rice
- 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar
Filling
- 300 g red bean paste
- candied chestnuts
Others
- 20-30 bamboo leaves
- 10-20 bamboo strings
- 1 tbsp osmanthus tea leaves, for cooking the dumplings
Instructions
Prepare the rice the night before
- Wash 300 g glutinous rice 3-5 times until the water runs clear.
- Add 1 tbsp osmanthus tea leaves in water and soak the rice overnight or at least for 8 hours. Note: Make sure the water more than covers the rice as the rice will expand. I soaked the rice for almost 16 hours.
- The next day, scoop out the tea leaves as much as possible. Drain off the water and set aside.
Prepare the ingredients on the day of cooking
- Add 2 tbsp unrefined brown sugar, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 0.5 tsp salt to soaked rice and mix well.
- Roll 300 g red bean paste into 10 portions. Note: Make sure the rice and filling are in room temperature.
Prepare the bamboo leaves
- Soak 20-30 bamboo leaves for 2 hours.Note: Use a heavy bowl to push the leaves down so that they fully submerged into the water.
- Then boil the leaves over high heat for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and wash the leaves under running water.Wipe off the water gently with a clean cloth. This will also help to remove any dirt that might be stuck on the leaves.Note: Don’t use paper to wipe as the paper pulp might stick onto the leaves. Keep the leaves moist covered with a cloth, otherwise dry leaves will crack while wrapping. If they dry out, simply rehydrate them by dipping them into water and wipe with a towel.
- Optional to cut the hard stem at the end of the bamboo leaves off, it's easier to handle when folding.
- Soak 10-20 bamboo strings in water for one hour so that they become pliable for wrapping.
Wrap the rice dumplings
- Make sure the rice and filling are at room temperature.Stack 2 bamboo leaves on top of each other. The smooth side of the leaves should face up and the stem side faced down.Fold into a cone shape.Note: Choose the leaves that are not broken or have holes in between to avoid leakage.
- Fill the cone up with about 1 tbsp of rice, filling up 1/3 of the cone. Make an indentation in the middle for the filling.Then add red bean paste and a candied chestnuts. Top up with 1-2 tbsp of rice. Press gently with the back of the spoon to make sure they are tight.
- Slightly squeeze the two sides of the cone. Then fold the top over.Fold in the 2 sides to close the gap on the side of the cone. Then wrap the loose end of the bamboo leaves over, forming a pyramid shape.
- Use a long bamboo string, hold one end of the string and twirl the string around the dumpling 2-3 times.Tie the knot twice to secure the wrapping, but do not tie it too tight as the rice will expand after cooked and will explode out of the wrapping.
Cook the rice dumplings
- Add the wrapped dumpings into a pot of water and 1 tbsp osmanthus tea leaves and bring to boil over high heat. Once boil, reduce to simmer for 2 hour.Note: Ensure water covers the dumplings completely. Add more water if water level drops. If using pressure cooker, cook on high for 50 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove from water and hang dry until no more water drips out.
- Enjoy the rice dumplings on its own or with some honey.
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