The festival is joyous, and eating zongzi is about health. I remember making zongzi at home during the Dragon Boat Festival when I was a child. First, it was a planned economy, and there were no zongzi in stores. Second, our family's income was low, so even if there were any, we couldn't afford them! Making zongzi at home was quite time-consuming and used a lot of firewood. Back then, you couldn't buy zongzi leaves; you had to go pick reed leaves yourself, selecting wide, long ones one by one, then bringing them home to wash and set aside. You also had to soak the rice and prepare red dates. When wrapping zongzi, you'd typically use two or three leaves to form a shape with distinct corners and tie them with string. Different-flavored zongzi were tied with different colored strings to tell them apart. Once the zongzi were wrapped, they were placed in a large iron pot with some water. They were first brought to a boil, then slowly simmered. When the pot was opened, the pure fragrance of the glutinous rice, the sweet aroma of the red dates, and the fresh scent of the reed leaves gradually filled the room. Usually, the zongzi were wrapped the night before the festival and left in the pot, so they were perfectly hot to eat the next morning. While commemorating Qu Yuan during the Dragon Boat Festival, the process of making and eating zongzi is also a kind of enjoyment. In the past, everyone made their own zongzi, but now, few people bother to spend the time and energy to do so. Supermarkets offer all kinds of zongzi, and you can get them by paying money, but it's hard to experience the fun of the process anymore. There are northern and southern styles of zongzi. Northern zongzi are mainly sweet, including red date zongzi, red bean zongzi, preserved fruit zongzi, bean paste zongzi, melon seed zongzi, and eight-treasure zongzi. Southern zongzi are mostly savory, including pork zongzi, ham zongzi, salted egg yolk zongzi, sausage zongzi, shrimp zongzi, and diced meat zongzi. The main representatives of northern zongzi are Beijing and Shandong styles, while there are more southern styles, including Guangdong, Minnan, Ningbo, Jiaxing, Suzhou, Sichuan, Hainan, and Taiwan styles. They come in various shapes: triangular, square, rectangular, and pyramidal. Zongzi shouldn't be eaten as a meal, be careful of excessive calories. Zongzi carry on our country's dietary culture, and while they bring us the pleasure of food, we should also understand their nutritional characteristics. The main component of zongzi is glutinous rice. Every 100 grams of glutinous rice contains 348 kcal of energy. A 100-gram bowl of rice has about 120 kcal, and a 100-gram steamed bun has 220 kcal. A zongzi made with 50 grams of glutinous rice contains 174 kcal of energy; it would be even higher for a meat zongzi. Sweet bean paste zongzi often contain sugar, and the bean paste might be stir-fried with animal fat, making them very high in calories as well. From these numbers, we can see that one zongzi is equivalent to a bowl of rice. And if you count the meat, oil, etc., the energy in one zongzi is much higher than that of a bowl of rice. Therefore, it's recommended to pay attention to the size of the zongzi you eat and appropriately reduce your intake of staple foods. Glutinous rice causes blood sugar to rise faster than steamed buns and other types of rice, so people with unstable blood sugar or diabetes should eat less. The elderly, children, and people with poor gastrointestinal function should not eat too many. Meat zongzi contain a lot of animal fat, so you shouldn't eat too many at once. People with high blood lipids, high blood pressure, or heart disease should avoid meat zongzi. It's best to eat zongzi with cold dishes and a light soup, such as winter melon soup, vegetable soup, or loofah soup, to increase your intake of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Fragrant Zongzi with Beef Brisket
Ingredients
8 small meat zongzi, 750 grams beef brisket, a few pointed red chilies, several garlic cloves, 2 slices of ginger, star anise, cinnamon, broad bean paste, salt, oyster sauce, chili oil, salad oil as needed.
Preparation
1. Steam the meat zongzi over high heat for 8 minutes, then cut them in half and place them in a warming chafing dish to line the bottom. Cut the beef brisket into 2 cm cubes.
2. Heat oil in a wok until it's 60% hot. Add the sliced red chilies, garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and broad bean paste, stir-frying over high heat until fragrant. Add the beef brisket and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add oyster sauce, chili oil, 400 grams of water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes. Season with chicken powder, then pour the beef and sauce over the zongzi and serve.
Nutrition Notes
Beef brisket is the soft muscle from the belly and near the ribs of a cow, a piece of meat with tendons, muscle, and marbling. Beef brisket contains high-quality protein and is an excellent source of iron for the body.
Meat Stewed Zongzi
Ingredients
Glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms, dried scallops, shrimp, cuttlefish strips, pork, dried oysters, chestnuts, zongzi leaves, soy sauce, salt, sugar, oil as needed.
Preparation
1. Cut the pork into cubes. Heat a wok, add the pork and stir-fry vigorously. Season with soy sauce, salt, and sugar to color the pork. Soak the glutinous rice in water for 30 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat oil in a wok, add the dried oysters and glutinous rice, then add seasonings and stir-fry through. Wrap the glutinous rice in zongzi leaves, add the steamed shiitake mushrooms, shrimp, dried scallops, chestnuts, cuttlefish strips, and pork. Tie them into a triangular shape and place them in boiling water. Cook for 2 hours.
Nutrition Notes
Meat zongzi are a high-energy food. Glutinous rice is not very easy to digest, so it should be eaten in moderation.
This article is excerpted from "Dr. Ma's Talk on Nutrition" by Ma Guansheng, authorized by Phoenix Hanzhang Books. Reproduction is strictly prohibited.