Best restaurant in Zetland: Sticky Rice Dumpling and Dragon Boat Festival

The festival that just passed a few days ago was the Dragon Boat Festival. If you had been to some Asian markets or Chinese restaurants, you probably came across with some triangle dumpling-like things wrapped with leaves. They are called “zong zi” or in English, sticky rice dumplings.

Dragon boat festival is also known as “duan wu” festival in the Chinese culture. It is one of the oldest holidays in China! Similar to Chinese New Year, the date of this festival varies as it follows the lunar calendar. It falls on the fifth day of the fifth month each lunar year.

What are sticky rice dumplings? They are not your usual dumplings where you can just eat the whole thing with the skin. It is wrapped with bamboo or reed leaves. It is called stick rice dumplings because the rice used is glutinous rice and it usually steamed and boiled to cook the rice and the fillings inside.

There are many types of fillings, but generally categorised as the sweet ones and the salty ones. The sweet ones have fillings like mung beans, while the salted ones are fillings with pork and salted eggs. Dumplings from different regions of China have different fillings that “showcase” the taste buds of the people.

Making sticky rice dumplings used to be a family event where everyone will help out and wrap dumplings back in the days. Now we can easily buy frozen or ready-made ones from Asian supermarkets.

Festivals in China are generally a time for families to get together; it is a culture full of meanings and togetherness, just like the yum cha “concept”. What are you waiting for? Time to catch up with your family and friends. The best restaurant in Zetland, East Phoenix Chinese restaurant serves yumcha and dinner 7 days a week. Book us soon!