Taiwanese Rice Dumplings (Jung Dz / Ba Tzang)
- camissonia
- Nov 21
- 1 min read
I can't extol the deliciousness of rice dumplings enough. In Mandarin, they're called "Jung- dz" and in Taiwanese they're called "Ba tzang." There are many versions of Ba tzang, depending on where you hail from. Regardless of the individual spins on the recipe, it usually incorporates some kind of pork-based filling and is always wrapped in bamboo leaves before steaming.
As a kid, I used to watch my grandmother Ah-ma make Ba tzang, so I have some recollection of the ingredients she would put into them & mom also gave me some suggestions. So, this is my remake of Ah-ma's Ba Tzang, which I regard as the best-tasting in the world. Caveat, I kind of suck at wrapping these guys - the filling often wants to creep out of the bamboo leaves and I struggle to tie the bundles together tightly. It's a work in progress. But ultimately, I don't care so much about the aesthetics as I do the taste. And these taste pretty dang good!
1
Note on the sauce:
*Make the pork belly ahead of time, preferably the day before. Here's my recipe for soy-braised pork belly:
https://www.thegrubfiles.com/post/taiwanese-soy-braised-pork-belly-lu-rou-lo-ba
Reserve 3 cups of the braising liquid for the Ba tzang.
2
Note on the sauce:
**Dried bamboo leaves are available in many Asian markets and online.
3
Note on the sauce:
***Glutinous rice (aka "sweet rice") is available in the Asian section of many supermarkets, online and at many Asian markets.
4
Note on the sauce:
Ba Tsangs freeze well (put them in a Ziploc bag). To reheat, steam over high heat about 30 minutes.
5
Optional Ingredients
My grandmother often added chestnuts and dried oysters to her Ba Tsang, which are not included in this recipe.
Here's a list of optional ingredients:
Peanuts
Chestnuts
XO sauce
Dried scallop
Dried oysters
Notes
1
Wash & drain glutinous rice in cool water several times until water runs clear. Cover with fresh water and let soak at least 4 hours or overnight.
2
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium bowl filled with hot tap water for at least 30 minutes. When mushrooms are soft, drain & place on a chopping board. Cut off the stems and thinly slice the caps; set aside.
3
Soak dried shrimp in a small bowl with hot tap water. When softened, drain and set aside.
Dice the bamboo shoots; set aside.
4
Place the dried bamboo leaves in a clean kitchen sink (plugged) or a large container and cover with water. Let soak at least 2 hours or overnight.
5
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced pork belly, shiitakes, dried shrimp, and bamboo shoots and sauté together for a few seconds.
6
Add 4 tbsp fried shallots, 1 tbsp 5-spice powder, 2 tsp sesame oil, and 2 cups of the reserved braising liquid from the pork belly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 20-30 minutes or until all ingredients have soaked in the flavors of the sauce. Turn off heat and set aside.
7
In the meantime, cook rice with 2 1/2 cups of water. When done (and while still hot) stir in 1 cup of the soy braising liquid, 1 tbsp fried shallots, 1/8 tsp of 5-spice powder, and 2 tsp of sesame oil. Set aside.
8
To make the dumplings: Use 2 bamboo leaves per dumpling, slightly overlapping the leaves with the stem ends in opposite directions. Fold the leaves over to form a "cup." Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the rice mix in the "cup" portion of the leaves.
9
Top the rice with a couple pieces of pork belly and about a spoonful of the rest of the filling. Top with a couple more tablespoons of rice, then fold the bamboo leaves over to form a sort of triangular bundle.
Please refer to the below photos for clarification. But if that doesn't help, then you should check out Red Cook's "Secret of the Zongzi" post for a good illustration of the wrapping process: http://www.redcook.net/2009/05/27/zongzi-secrets/ .
10
Tie each bundle with kitchen twine to secure. Place the Ba tzang in a steamer and steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot with some sweet chili sauce on the side if desired.
Instructions
4 soy-braised pork bellies cut into 1" pieces*
8 dried Shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup dried shrimp
18 dried bamboo leaves**
4 cups glutinous rice***
7-oz package bamboo shoots cut into 1/2" dice****
4 tbsp fried shallots
1 tbsp five-spice powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cups reserved braising liquid from the pork belly
4 cups glutinous rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup reserved braising liquid from the pork belly
1 tbsp fried shallots
2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp five-spice powder
Rice
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Taiwanese Rice Dumplings (Jung Dz / Ba Tzang)
8
Prep Time
4 hours
Cooking Time
30 min
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
4 hours 30 min
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