Chinese Tamales | 粽子

in

2 cups glutinous (sticky) rice

20 bamboo leaves 

30 dried jujube red dates 

Hemp or kitchen string

Sugar for dipping

 

 

 

Soak sticky rice, bamboo leaves, and dates in separate bowls of water for at least three hours. Prepare 10 lengths of string of about 24 inches. Drop these in the water with the bamboo leaves right before you are about to start making the tamales. You do not need to drain the ingredients before working with them. 

Follow steps 1-8 to create a tamale: 0verlap two bamboo leaves per tamale, but offsetting them slightly to maximize surface area. Make a cone with the leaves. Fill the bottom of each cone with a small amount of rice, add a date, more rice, and more dates. Each tamale should have 3-4 tablespoons of rice and three dates. The finished product will be a triangular pyramid. Wrap the string tightly around the tamale and secure so that nothing can fall out. Repeat until you're out of all ingredients. This recipe makes 10 tamales. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the tamales in. Return to a boil and reduce heat so that the water is still bubbling but not boiling intensely. Cook for one hour. Remove from heat and strain.

Unwrap and serve warm with white sugar for dipping. Tamales can be frozen, thawed, and re-steamed. Variations can be savory or sweet, from fillings of pork belly to sweet sesame paste or red bean. 

Did any part of this recipe confuse you? For detailed instructions, click here.