Where to buy rice dumplings for Dragon Boat Festival
Prepare for the festival on June 14Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Tuen Ng Festival, comes with many different celebrations and traditions. One of which are its dumplings, zongji, that have become known from the story of Qu Yuan. Traditionally wrapped in bamboo leaves, these rice dumplings can have a variety of fillings from meats, beans and other ingredients. To this day, companies are putting their spin on the classic to create gastronomically delightful dumplings for the celebration.
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Soil to Soul
Fusing Korean cuisine with Cantonese tradition is Soil to Soul. This vegetarian-friendly option features healthy ingredients like kimchi, seasonal vegetables and mixed nuts. With no added meat, flavour comes from sesame oil, natural plum extract and chilli sauce. It has also revamped the tradition and uses lotus leaf to wrap its dumplings.
Soil to Soul, Shop 704, 7/F, K11 MUSEA, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2389 9588
The Ritz Carlton
The Ritz Carlton has created a luxurious dumpling to celebrate festivities. Filled with opulent ingredients to bring you luck, these have been meticulously filled with abalone, conpoy and other premium ingredients.
The Ritz Carlton, available online
The Legacy House
Li Chi-Wai, executive chef at The Legacy House, has launched two traditional rice dumplings for this year’s festivities. The savoury offer incorporates the eight sought-after auspicious treasures: Abalone, chestnut, conpoy and mushrooms. The second is a sweet version with whole chestnut and lotus seeds. The zongji are wrapped in bamboo leaves before being boiled for seven hours.
The Legacy House, available online
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Epicurean Group
The Epicurean Group has launched five premium dumplings with two traditional Cantonese style and three with Shanghainese flair. The Shanghainese offerings include ingredients like egg yolk, soy sauce stewed pork and red bean paste. For authentic Cantonese flavours, try the whole conpoy or stewed pork belly.
The Epicurean Group, available online
Green Common
Try a vegetarian version of the tradition from Green Common with its OmniPork and plant-based salted egg yolk alternative. The innovative vegan salted egg is made from pumpkin with 0mg cholesterol, making it a healthier and antioxidant-filled alternative. Its second creation has a filling of chestnut, mushroom, lotus seeds and replaces sticky rice with quinoa.
Green Common, available online
Yung’s Bistro
With a recipe from Guangdong, these zongji incorporate the beloved roasted goose, charcoal-grilled in-house at Yung Kee. Premium ingredients like dried scallop, pork belly and salted egg yolk accompany the decadent goose and a limited number of South African abalone dumplings is also available for luxurious celebrations.
Yung’s Bistro, available to order via 5599 2800
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Sexy Crab
Looking out for seafood lovers is Sexy Crab with its crab roe lava sticky rice dumpling. Its luxurious savoury version marries salted egg yolk with oozing crab roe. Partnering with Baekmidang to make a sweet sticky rice dumpling, try its red bean and date dessert.
Sexy Crab, Shop 401A, 4/F, K11 MUSEA, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 6655 7629
Shangri-La Group
The hotels from the Shangri-La Group have gone above and beyond with their dumplings for the festival. Filled with traditional ingredients like roasted pork, imperial fungus, black garlic with porcini and 88-month Iberico ham. Treat yourself to luxury with its festive hampers that come with treats like champagne, Chinese tea, XO chilli sauce as well as its dumplings.
Shangri-La Group, multiple locations across Hong Kong
T’ang Court
T’ang Court has stepped outside the box to offer more than just dumplings with an abalone poon choi. Served in a traditional clay pot, the poon choi is filled with a whole ten-head abalone, conpoy, fresh prawns, pork belly, and sea moss. The feast feeds four to six people and can also be ordered with its handcrafted XO sauce to bring a spicy kick to the meal.
T’ang Court, available online
Regal Hotels
Choose one of the four gift sets available from Regal Hotels that combine a range of luxury ingredients in its traditional wrap. A whole abalone is paired with Chinese ham, roasted pork with black mushrooms and fish maw with conch for a seafood speciality. A unique twist uses osmanthus, red bean and taro paste for a subtly sweet treat.
Regal Hotels, available online
