Ah! This is my first savory recipe post on this blog! I’ve written briefly about generic meal ideas when I got more creative at the start of the pandemic last year, but most were based on recipes I found to be amazing and easy to make! Lately I seemed to have a craving for joong, so I decided that maybe it’s finally time to write this recipe down. Truthfully, you can add whatever you want in various quantities, but this is my version that I’ve created with my mom.

What is Joong?

We have a little stickler on calling these “zong” or “joong” since they’re Cantonese-style. You might often hear zongzi, but that’s the Mandarin way of saying it! But if you haven’t heard of either, a joong is similar to a tamale, but entirely corn-less. Stripped down, it’s a leaf-wrapped meal with sticky rice and other filling. There’s many versions of this, including the more common one you might find at a dim sum restaurant, Lo Mai Gai (steamed sticky rice in lotus leaf with chicken). But specifically, joong is a bamboo leaf wrap rice dumpling and it’s slow cooked in simmering water for about 3 hours.

Joong is especially good in the winter because sticky rice and all the other hearty ingredients are so warming to the soul. The combination of slow cooked pork belly infused with 5 spice is just perfect! Maybe because 5 spice has that warmth of cinnamon amongst other ingredients, or maybe the richness of the pork belly that makes the sticky rice dumpling delicious. Either way, I’m always down to eat it! It’s also such a fun rainy day activity when you have all the time in the world to enjoy the art of wrapping joong. And once it’s cooked, you get a cute little parcel of a meal (or even 2 or more!) to enjoy. Sometimes I wonder why we even bother wrapping them up in the specific tetrahedral shape just to unwrap them. But believe me, the flavor of the bamboo leaves soaked into the rice is the finishing touch.

Plus, if you’re ever on the go, joong is perfect to take and eat. You don’t even need an extra Tupperware to store them! If you decide to freeze some, they’re easy to reheat by simply reboiling or steaming them till warm.

I think the hardest part of making joong is acquiring ingredients and potentially the wrapping too! So what goes into joong other than sticky rice?

Pork belly: thick strip cuts of bacon marinated in 5 spice powder is slow cooked in the joong so the flavor simmers through the entire dumpling, melts-in-your-mouth kind of texture
Chinese sausage: technically this one is optional, but I love it so much that I love to add it in
Dried shrimp: so good in cantonese foods!
Salted egg yolk: can be optional if it’s hard to find, or you could make your own (I haven’t tried that yet!)
Yellow mung bean: add that extra nuttiness
Mushroom: shiitake are great for this because of its flavors
Peanuts: for me this is optional, but it’s widely used

Essentially everything is soaked and/or marinated an hour prior to wrapping. The rice should be soaked at least 3 hours before, preferably overnight so it cooks easier. And once you have all the ingredients out, you’re ready to wrap and cook. For the bamboo leaf wrap, I like to use 2 leaves for each dumpling. 3 may seem more sturdy but I find it hard to manage 3 leaves in my hands.

How to wrap Joong?

I haven’t the habit to take nicer process shots, so these are all iPhone pictures, but hopefully they’ll show you how everything is wrapped. The goal is to create a tetrahedral (4 sided) dumpling. Ignore the onions in the corner of the image!

Take one leaf and make the shiny, smooth side facing in. This helps prevent the rice from sticking too much. Create a cone by folding in half, then fold one corner at an angle and open the pocket again.
Start filling by adding rice at the base and then the other ingredients, topping with rice again. The cone should be fairly full without overflowing.
Add the second leaf. I find it easiest to add it outside the previous leaf, but you can also insert it inside. Then fold it the same way you did the first corner. Pinch the free end shut and fold it over itself. Make sure folds are on same side of the joong for easier handling.
Then, while holding the base fairly firmly, tap the joong vertically on the table to stuff everything down. Add a bit more rice if it looks a little empty.
Grab all the leaves at the top and fold them down in a way that’s perpendicular to the most bottom edge to create that elongated tetrahedral shape. And hold it all down with one hand.
Using your free hand, grab a string and start wrapping around the dumpling in a criss-cross fashion, making sure you tie down the ends of the leaves and the folds in particular. If you’re good, you can get away with 2 wraps, but 3-4 wrap arounds is best to make sure everything is tight. Shoelace or square (2 overhand) knot the ends of the string. And voila! Hopefully everything is still in tact!

2. Add filling, enough before spilling over

3. Fill and wrap with second leaf (inside or outside of first)

4. Tuck in the free edge and top with rice

5-6. Fold the top over and wrap with string

There’s definitely other ways to still make this tetrahedral shape, but I’ve found this is the most efficient! Keep your eyes peeled and I might make a video of the wrapping process someday! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy making your joong, a quintessential chinese food.

Eating Joong and other FAQ

When to make Joong?

Traditionally, joong is eaten during the dragon boat festival. But personally I like eating it in colder months.

How do you eat Joong?

Just unwrap the whole thing! If you’re on the move, you can eat it like a burrito, straight out from the leaves. But you can also turn it out on a plate and eat it with a fork.

What do you serve Joong with?

Joong is often served with either a dash of sugar or soy sauce. It can also be eaten plain. Joong is an entire meal on its own, so no need to eat it with other food items. However, it may be nice to have some veggies or tea on the side to balance out the heartiness of the joong.

How to store Joong?

You can freeze the joong. Since they’re already individually wrapped with the leaves, just leave them that way and store in a container or sealable bag. To reheat, steam it till warm or reboil it. This helps maintain its softness.

Can I reuse the leaves?

If you clean the leaves well and reboil them before drying out again, you can most definitely reuse them! However, after multiple uses, the leaves will lose their flavor. Using them twice is reasonable, but any more, you’re just using them as a wrapper and not for flavor. You can also clean cotton string for future use.

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