More than 2,000 years ago, the patriotic poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the river, and the people were saddened to hear it, in order to prevent the fish and shrimp from destroying their bodies, they put the glutinous rice at home into the bamboo tube to attract fish and shrimp.
Since then, the folk have also had the custom of eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, and now it has been inherited for thousands of years. However, the mainland is vast, due to different eating habits and customs, the filling and taste of zongzi are also different, southerners love to eat salty zongzi, northerners like to eat sweet zongzi.
Zongzi is a kind of fragrant, soft and glutinous food, but the taste of zongzi wrapped in different zongzi leaves is different. So, when eating zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, which zongzi leaf wrapping zongzi is the most fragrant? There are 8 types of rice dumplings to choose from, but there are 6 traps to watch out for.
01. 8 kinds of dumpling leaves can be selected
1. Bamboo shoot shells
In Guangxi, zongzi are super large, one can weigh several catties, and the filling inside is full of bulging, and the fragrance can be smelled from afar.
Some people are curious, the average dumpling leaf doesn't seem to be that big, right? Even if there are such large leaves, they can't bear such weight. In fact, the dumpling leaves used by Guangxi people are bamboo shoot shells.
Bamboo shoots are no stranger to everyone, their shells are relatively hard, and they have the unique fragrance of bamboo. However, before use, it needs to be washed repeatedly to remove burrs on the surface, and boiled in hot water for 10 minutes before wrapping.
Although it is more cumbersome, the zongzi wrapped in bamboo shoot shells is worth everyone's trouble, and the zongzi have a unique taste. Locals in Guangxi have the habit of keeping the shell of bamboo shoots after eating, just to wrap zongzi.
2. Bamboo leaves
In the vast southern region, it is very common, after all, it likes a warm and moist environment, and its figure can always be seen by ditches, valleys, and streams.
A friend in Zhejiang told me that since May, many people come to the countryside to buy bamboo leaves and sell them to food companies to make zongzi. And the very famous Jiaxing zongzi, the zongzi leaves are selected from the best bamboo leaves.
There are many vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, amino acids and other contents in the leaves, which have many benefits to the human body, such as good antioxidants.
The bamboo leaves are relatively soft and tough, and the hard leaf head part needs to be removed before wrapping the zongzi, and then boiled in water for 10 minutes after cleaning, and then wrapping the zongzi, which is more shiny and exudes a burst of fragrance.
3. Reed leaves
The most common is probably the reed leaf, which can be seen in both the north and the south, and the most important thing is that it is fresh enough and easy to obtain, and it will always appear next to the river embankment and the fish pond.
Reed leaves have medicinal value, can clear heat and detoxify, and the wrapped zongzi has a special fragrance. In the market, zongye costs 5 yuan a catty, and many people will buy it.
Although the reed leaves are narrower, because they are slender enough, the wrapped zongzi is conical, and the appearance is very impressive. Reed zongzi has been popular since the early days and is still loved today.
4. Hiiragi
In the south, many people will also choose Hiiragi leaves to wrap zongzi, although many people do not know this kind of zongzi, but it is still very famous in Japan and South Korea, whether it is to wrap zongzi or barbecue, they love to use Hiiragi leaves.
Hiiragi leaves vary in size, but the leaves are thicker and softer, so they are very solid in wrapping, can be steamed for a long time without fear of cracking, and it has a unique refreshing taste, which many people like.
After picking it from the Hiiragi tree, be sure to wash it and boil it in boiling water until the leaves become darker, so that the leaves are flexible.
5. Packing
On the mainland, the lotus flower is the most common ornamental aquatic plant, and the lotus leaf is also loved for not absorbing water. In fact, in the food industry, lotus leaves are very popular, such as lotus leaf pork ribs, lotus leaf roast chicken, etc., and lotus leaf tea is also sold in the market.
As for why, to put it bluntly, the lotus leaf has a strong fragrance, which makes people have an endless aftertaste. The leaves of the lotus leaf are large and wide enough, so it is very convenient to use it to wrap zongzi.
After the lotus leaves are picked, they need to be dried in the sun first, then soaked in water to soften, and then boiled in water for sterilization.
After the lotus leaf zongzi is put into the pot, the whole kitchen will be the fragrance of the zongzi, and you will fall in love with it when you eat it. In addition, lotus leaf species are rich in lotus, lotus, vitamin C, etc., which are very beneficial to the body.
6. 簕古匕尕��
In Guangdong, Hainan and other places, the fruit is more common in ancient times, and its fruit looks like a pineapple, and the locals call it a mountain pineapple, and this fruit can also be used for cooking.
When making zongzi, the locals also like to use the ancient leaves, but you need to cut off the serrations on the outer edge of the leaves first to avoid scratching people. After the leaves are processed, they are dried in the sun and soaked in water when the rice dumplings are wrapped, and their taste is very special and is deeply loved by the locals.
7. Plantain leaves
In the mainland's Liangguang, Yunnan, Hainan and Fujian, plantain is very common, its trees are tall, the leaves are also very wide, many people in summer in order to protect from the sun, directly use plantain leaves to shade the sun.
In fact, in addition to its medicinal value, banana leaves can also be used to wrap zongzi, because the leaves are large, it is easier to wrap zongzi. However, it should be noted that the softness of the banana leaves is not too good, and the shape of the dumplings is not beautiful, so you need to soak them in water before wrapping, otherwise the filling of the dumplings will leak out.
8. Zongye reed
As the name suggests, this leaf is made for zongzi, which is mainly found in the southern region and is a tall arbor herbaceous plant.
Every year around the Dragon Boat Festival, it is the time when the leaves are the most delicate, don't look at the leaves are relatively light, but the flexibility is better, and there is a special fragrance, the meat filling, dates, etc. are wrapped in it, making the ingredients more unique.
In addition to the above 8 kinds of mainstream zongzi leaves, canna leaves, corn leaves, pandanus leaves, coconut leaves and other wrapped zongzi, these leaves have their own advantages and disadvantages, so you can choose different zongzi leaves according to local customs.
02. Be careful of 6 major traps when choosing zongzi leaves
For rural people, zongzi leaves are available everywhere and can be picked at will, but zongzi leaves are not so easy to obtain in the city, so zongzi leaves are sold everywhere in the market.
It is naturally good if you can buy fresh zongzi leaves, after all, this kind of zongzi leaves are green in color, have better toughness, are suitable for wrapping zongzi, will not break, and the cooked zongzi are very fragrant.
However, the surface of the fresh zongzi leaves is rough and there are many fluffs, which need to be treated in advance, that is, they are washed on both sides in clean water, then boiled in boiling water, put in salt and edible alkali, and boil the zongzi leaves in them to darken the color, and then soak them in cold water for a period of time.
However, fresh zongzi leaves are rarely available in big cities, and most of the dried zongzi leaves sold in sealed packaging are sold on the market. These dumpling leaves are often harvested in July and October, and will be stored in a cool and ventilated place for sale in the next year, and can be stored for 2-3 years.
It's just that dried zongzi leaves need to be steamed at high temperature before selling, and the zongzi leaves may turn yellow, and the appearance is not very good. In order to make it more attractive, some unscrupulous merchants often add copper chloride and copper sulfate to the dumpling leaves, which is "rejuvenating the dumpling leaves", which looks very fresh.
However, it should be noted that when the rejuvenated dumpling leaves are cooked at high temperatures, heavy metal ions such as copper and mercury in industrial raw materials may penetrate into the dumpling leaves, and a large amount of consumption may cause poisoning, and the kidneys may also fail, which is more harmful to human health.
So, how to choose zongzi leaves? Be sure to watch out for the 4 big traps!
1. The boiled color is abnormal
After buying the zongzi leaves home, the first thing to do is to boil them in water to see what the color of the water in the pot is. If the color is pale brown or yellowish, it means that the leaves have not been processed scientifically. But if the boiled water is light green, or the green color is obvious, it means that there are too many chemical additives, and this kind of dumpling leaves should not be asked again, just throw it away.
2. Don't buy those that are too green
When buying zongzi leaves, you must be careful not to buy zongzi leaves that are too green in color, after all, these leaves will be treated at high temperature before entering the market, and the chlorophyll will be reduced, so the zongzi leaves will appear more yellowish.
When you choose, you can buy those dark gray dumpling leaves, so that you can eat them with more confidence.
3. Don't buy something that smells weird
If it is a normal dumpling leaf, its taste will be a faint fragrant smell. However, if the Zongye you choose has a weird taste, if there is a musty smell or sulfur smell, it is not normal, either there is too much sulfur smell or the Zongye leaves are piled up for too long and moldy.
4. Don't buy firewood
When choosing zongzi leaves, you can touch them with your hands to see how the zongzi leaves feel, if the texture is soft to the touch and the toughness is better, then the quality of zongzi leaves does not need to be asked.
If the dumpling leaves feel hard and uneven, it means that the quality of the dumpling leaves is not good, and this kind of dumpling leaves are easy to crack the skin. If there are microscopic cracks on the dumpling leaves, then you can't buy them, and they will crack as soon as they are cooked.
Of course, whether it is dried or fresh, you must soak it first and then put it in a pot to boil, and then soak it in cold water to soak.
When cooking zongzi, you can put a spoonful of salt and a spoonful of edible alkali, so that the zongzi leaves are more tough, and the texture is softer, the fragrance is rich, and the taste is better, what do you think?