Chocolate and Red Bean Zongzi Recipe

It's nearly time for the Chinese Dragonboat Festival again, which means it's time for zongzi – stuffed sticky rice dumplings encased in bamboo leaves. This year I made chocolate and red bean zongzi for sweet dumplings.

I've mentioned my chocolate and red bean zongzi before, but it kind of got buried among the main savoury recipe. So I decided to give the special red bean and chocolate filling its own spotlight this time.

Ready? Let's go.

(Makes 10–15 zongzi, depending on how wide you leaves are.)

Ready? Let's go.

To Wrap:

1 bundle / about 40 dried bamboo leaves (allows extra for torn leaves), soaked overnight in water, washed and rinsed, and bottom and top ends snipped off

Ingredients for Rice:

350g glutinous rice, soaked for 30 minutes and drained stirred with:
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for Filling:

400g sweet red bean paste, stirred with:
100g dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Take two bamboo leaves and overlap one over the other lengthways, so the one at the top goes over about half of the one on the bottom. Fold and twist them to create a cone, put a little rice at the bottom, a little of the sweet or savoury filling in the middle, and top with more rice.

2. Fold the excess leaves down and around to create a pyramid-shaped parcel, and secure by wrapping and tying string around it.

3. Place your zongzi in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for an hour and a half, then drain and serve hot.

Enjoy, and have fun.