Zongzi available on the market can be broadly categorized into Cantonese-style Zongzhong, Zhejiang-style Huzhou zongzi, Taiwanese-style meat zongzi, plain zongzi, and alkaline zongzi. Among these, the Zongzhong can contain over 1000 calories. Therefore, nutritionists recommend a principle of "less oil, less alkali, less sugar, and more fiber" to ensure a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival.
Cantonese-style Zongzhong are large in size and rich in content, weighing about 1.5 kilograms each. Ingredients include glutinous rice, Jinhua ham, char siu, pork belly, salted egg yolk, chestnuts, mushrooms, dried shrimp, and mung beans. Consequently, a single Zongzhong can have over 1000 calories, so it must be shared among several people to avoid excessive consumption.
Zhejiang-style Huzhou zongzi are mostly long in shape and come in both sweet and savory flavors. The savory version is made with glutinous rice and pork belly, containing about 400 calories. However, due to its higher proportion of fatty meat, it is less suitable for patients with chronic diseases who should avoid fatty, high-fat foods. The sweet version is often made with red bean paste or jujube paste, with one zongzi containing approximately 600 to 800 calories. As the sweet filling has a high proportion of sugar and fat, it is less suitable for diabetics.
Taiwanese meat zongzi, which people also often eat as a main meal, can be divided into northern and southern styles. Northern zongzi first stir-fry the glutinous rice before wrapping it with ingredients like pork, mushrooms, dried shrimp, and salted egg yolk in bamboo leaves and steaming it. It is somewhat similar to fried rice, and a 400-gram roasted meat zongzi contains about 400 to 500 calories, with a heavier flavor and aroma. Southern zongzi mix raw glutinous rice with peanuts and include ingredients like pork, bamboo leaves, mushrooms, peanuts, chestnuts, shrimp, dried squid, salted egg yolk, and glutinous rice. They are wrapped in pandanus leaves and cooked in water. Due to fewer ingredients and the omission of the stir-frying step for the rice, they have lower calories than northern zongzi and a lighter, more subtle flavor.
However, southern zongzi are often sprinkled with peanut powder and sauce before eating. The peanuts in the zongzi and the peanut powder are both sources of fat, so people who need to limit their fat intake should pay special attention. Plain zongzi, due to their smaller size and lower-calorie fillings, contain about 250 calories each. Alkaline zongzi are also small, with less than 200 calories each, but the calorie count increases if they are eaten with sugar.
Calories in Zongzi
The calorie content of zongzi varies depending on their "size" and "filling." "Meat zongzi" each contain approximately 450 to 600 calories. Taiwanese meat zongzi range from 385 to 671 calories, with an average of 495 kcal, while Huzhou zongzi range from 400 to 520 calories, with an average of 459 kcal. The filling of the meat zongzi also directly affects its calorie content; for example, using pork belly versus char siu as an ingredient results in different calorie levels.
When making zongzi, it is best to choose ingredients that follow the "less oil, less alkali, less sugar, and more fiber" principle. Use less seasoning, or try substituting pork belly with hind leg meat or konjac, replacing egg yolks with chestnuts, adding carrots for color and fiber, or mixing glutinous rice with regular rice to increase fiber content.
Additionally, when making red bean paste zongzi, it is recommended to use "vegetable oil" instead of lard to reduce the calorie content. Plain zongzi have fewer calories than regular zongzi, with each containing about 210 to 250 kcal. Alkaline zongzi are also smaller in size and relatively lower in calories, containing about 100 to 120 kcal before being dipped in sugar, and 120 to 150 kcal after. "Red bean paste zongzi" each contain about 500 to 600 calories, making them one of the highest-calorie types of zongzi. This is not only because of their high content of granulated or cane sugar, but also because the red bean paste is often stir-fried in lard, significantly increasing the calories.