A Dragon Boat Festival myth busted: why sticky rice dumplings could be older than you think, and the best ways to eat one

According to Chinese legend, a man’s suicide in a river led to the creation of the Dragon Boat Festival and the eating of sticky rice dumplings during it
However, many cultures celebrate the day and eat their own version – in Malaysia and Singapore, it’s a Peranakan speciality. In Vietnam, it symbolises the sun

Dragon Boat Festival

Lisa Cam

Published: 11:15am, 3 Jun 2022

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Is patriotic scholar Qu Yuan really why we eat sticky rice dumplings? The legend goes that Qu Yuan, an exiled poet and politician in the State of Chu during China’s Warring States period (475-221BC), committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River when he heard that his state had fallen.

Villagers paddled out in boats to save him but, when they realised it was too late, they threw rice dumplings into the Miluo (in today’s Hubei province) to distract the fish from eating his corpse, and thrashed their paddles and beat their drums to scare them away. Thus, the Dragon Boat Festival (with its symbolic sticky rice dumplings or zongzi) was born.

But just how real is this legend?

Qu Yuan did exist and he certainly was a melancholic poet – evidenced by the work he left behind – and he did die in 278BC during the Warring States period. However, the first documented connection between him and zongzi did not appear until many hundreds of years later in the Shishuo Xinyu or “A New Account of the Tales of the World” – an early medieval anecdote collection.

A team at The Sun Life Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships 2019 in Hong Kong. Photo: Felix Wong

Most importantly, the date of the Dragon Boat Festival – the fifth day of the fifth month – marks the summer solstice, and the eating of zongzi was documented long before Qu Yuan existed.

It would appear that the connection between Qu Yuan and zongzi is about as relevant as the one linking Christmas presents to Saint Nicholas or chocolates to Saint Valentine.

Premium glutinous rice dumpling and golden twins glutinous rice dumplings from a Hong Kong restaurant. Photo: Spring Moon

Around the region

The tradition of eating zongzi around the Dragon Boat Festival doesn’t just exist in Hong Kong and China. Southeast Asian countries celebrate the same festival and also eat sticky, or glutinous, rice dumplings – though each has their own version.

In Malaysia and Singapore, zongzi are a speciality of Peranakan cuisine. Pandan leaves are used as often as bamboo leaves for wrapping, while minced pork with candied winter melon and a spice mix (and sometimes ground roasted peanuts) are also added. As with other Peranakan pastries, the rice is sometimes dyed blue with blue pea flower extract to give it a celebratory aesthetic.

A Chinese entertainer wears traditional clothes whilst performing an opera in honour of Qu Yuan to mark the Chinese traditional Dragon Boat Festival in Beijing, China, in 2015. Photo: EPA

In neighbouring Vietnam, the banh chung zongzi is square and stuffed with mung beans and pork to symbolise the sun. In Thailand, locals eat a sweet version made with banana, rice and coconut. A savoury option sees Thai people stuff zongzi with chicken instead of pork.

Even around China, different regions have different tastes – Beijing’s zongzi are sweet and simple and can be eaten cold, with fillings such as red dates, red bean paste or dried fruits.

The folk in Chaozhou enjoy zongzi packed with pork belly, chestnut, mushroom and dried shrimp. Spicy Sichuanese zongzi, of course, have a bit of heat – usually, the flavourings are a mix of Sichuan peppercorns, chilli powder, Sichuan salt and preserved pork.

A resident washes polished glutinous rice at home in Zigui county of central China’s Hubei province in 2017. Photo: Xinhua

Cantonese versions come in a sweet and a savoury version. The sweet is called an “alkaline water zong”. The sticky rice is treated to give them their distinctive yellow colour and slightly soapy flavour. It is often served with syrup or honey and can be filled with a peanut or red bean paste.

The savoury version is the one that is more frequently referenced when it come to zongzi, and is usually jam-packed with ingredients such as pork belly or duck, with other ingredients like green bean paste, mushrooms, dried scallops and salted egg yolk.

Chef Li Chi-wai holding deep-fried milk Daliang style. He recommends dipping zongzi in a little vinegar. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Top chef recommendations

We are very fortunate in Hong Kong to have all sorts of sticky rice dumplings in abundance. If run-of-the-mill flavours bore you, we’ve asked some top chefs from star-studded restaurants around the city to give us their recommendations.

Yup Kar-on – Duddell’s

“In recent years, I have been pairing Tuen Ng [Dragon Boat Festival] dumplings with soy paste. It’s a mixture of soy sauce cooked with sugar and soybeans, giving it viscosity and a subtle sweetness. Soy paste enhances the flavours of the ingredients, making it the perfect dipping sauce for savoury rice dumplings.”

Chef Lam Yuk-ming likes to use maple syrup in his rice dumplings. Photo: Spring Moon

Li Chi-wai – The Legacy House

“I would suggest our guests enjoy savoury ones with mature vinegar. The Legacy House’s glutinous rice dumplings contain abalone, pork, and mushroom, and people might find it very filling. Therefore, dipping a little vinegar to add acidity to the dish can help with digestion and make it lighter. The sweet-sour taste from the vinegar can entice your appetite.”

Lam Yuk-ming – Spring Moon

“I suggested adding Canadian maple syrup to our glutinous rice dumplings as it’s a perfect source of natural sweetness without compromising on flavour.

I also recommended steaming the rice dumpling, dicing it and having it coated in a coconut breadcrumb topping and quickly frying it, giving it a crunchy-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside texture.”

Chef Ho Wai-sing uses yuzu honey instead of syrup.

Wong Lung-to – Forum

“It’s really up to what your personal preferences are. You can try deep-frying savoury zong and dipping it in oyster sauce. A new way I like to explore is to cube the alkaline dumpling then covering it in a traditional Chinese toffee. This one is fun.”

Jayson Tang – JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong

“White sugar, sakura shrimps and XO sauce goes well with savoury dumplings. White sugar can cut the grease of the pork belly in the dumpling and brings out the enchanting flavour. The crispiness and the saltiness of sakura shrimps can elevate the complexity of the taste and texture of the dumplings. The chilli in XO sauce can bring a slightly spicy flavour, enhancing the taste of the dumplings and stimulating appetite.”

Ho Wai-sing – The Royal Garden Chinese Restaurant

“Simply substitute yuzu honey for the syrup in sweet dumplings. The acidity cuts the richness, while the tangy honey will enhance the bouquet of soft alkaline flavours.”