Chinese New Year's Eve thick smoke cage Purple Mo, family dust wrapped in steamed incense.
—— Wang Shizhen's "Duanzhou Improvisation" sentence
Wrapped steaming is a traditional food in Zhaoqing, shaped like zongzi, but not the same as zongzi, Zhaoqing tradition is mostly wrapped and steamed before the Spring Festival. Nowadays, with the development of social economy, Zhaoqing wrapped steaming has developed from Spring Festival food to local flavor specialty food, which can be eaten all year round.
Wrapped steaming (Courtesy of Fang Zhi Office, Duanzhou District, Zhaoqing City)
How to make one
Classic Zhaoqing wrap steaming?
/Filling/
Wash the leaves and glutinous rice; soak the mung beans with water, shell them, and mix well with fine salt and glutinous rice;
Fat pork is cut into thick pieces, and then add an appropriate amount of koji wine, sesame seeds, pepper or five-spice powder to make the filling.
/Steaming/
Add the right amount of water and steam for more than seven or eight hours until the glutinous rice is sticky and the mung beans are surimided. (Traditionally loaded in iron drums or clay pots, fueled by firewood, it is now possible to make your own home and switch to a household stove depending on the situation.) ）
Steaming (Photo by Li Ni)
Due to the different ingredients, there are also many varieties of zhaoqing wrapping and steaming. The ingredients used to make the filling vary depending on hobbies and customs. For example, vegetarian steaming with peanuts, white fruits, shiitake mushrooms as fillings, called vegetarian wrapped steaming; some families and restaurants with shiitake mushrooms, chestnut kernels, white fruits, roasted meat, sausages, duck, salted egg yolk as filling, known as "Seven Star Wrapping King", sweet and delicious, unique flavor, enjoy a reputation.
Steamed
As early as the Han Dynasty, urban and rural residents on both sides of the Xijiang River had the custom of steaming during the Spring Festival, which has been inherited to this day. In the old custom, Zhaoqing wrapping steaming "New Year's Eve" began to be carried out. At this time, the family washed glutinous rice, mung beans, washed leaves, concocted "pork belly" and other fillings, the work was extremely meticulous and exquisite. At the climax of the 27th and 28th day of the lunar month, at the end of the street and alley, under the eaves of the house, masonry stoves can be seen everywhere, special large barrel pots (some use large tile pots), burning a raging fire, boiling water while boiling, boiling for seven or eight hours, and the laughter and laughter fill the village and city streets.
When the steamed food is prepared, it is sweet and oily, and the teeth and cheeks are fragrant after eating. In addition to self-use, it also gives gifts to relatives and friends in the neighborhood, and even sends them to Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, which conveys the beautiful expectations of Zhaoqing people for life "thriving".
Wrapped steaming stall in Duanzhou District Market (Photo by Guo Jianquan)
In October 2009, Zhaoqing wrapping steaming production techniques were announced as the third batch of intangible cultural heritage in Guangdong Province, and in July 2012, Zhaoqing wrapping steaming was approved as a national geographical indication protected product.
Source Fang Zhi Guangdong