On the 5th day of the 5th lunar month of the Chinese calendar the Chinese all over the world celebrate the Duan Wu Festival 端午节, also known as the Dumpling Festival or Dragon boat Festival. This festival is celebrated by wrapping the glutinous rice with bamboo leaves. The festival commemorates Qu Yuan 屈原, a patriotic poet from the Kingdom of Chu 楚国 during the Warring States period 战国时代 who committed suicide upon hearing the fall of Chu’s capital city to the Qin. He was believed to have drowned himself in the Miluo River 汨罗江 on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month in 278 BCE. Civilians around the area row their boats out to try to save him or to recover his body. They beat on drums and gongs to frighten away fishes and sea creature to prevent them from eating his body. When these efforts proved futile, they threw rice dumplings into the river to prevent the sea creatures from attacking his body.Qu Yuan came to symbolize patriotism and on his death anniversary date, it became a custom to organize Dragon boat races 赛龙舟 and to consume dumplings 粽子. For more details about the festival you can read it here .
Each year we brothers and sisters look forward to this festival as we love eating our mom’s homemade traditional dumplings which filled with chestnuts, mushrooms, black eye peas, pork and salted egg yolk. I know we can buy these dumplings but mom's one is the best. The last time I had my mom’s dumplings were many years ago as I am never home during this time of the year. She taught me the techniques of wrapping the dumplings many times but I can’t seem to get it right. I tried making it once but gave up half way through the process and end up steaming the rice in bowls rather than wrapping it in bamboo leaves
I am very lucky this year as a few of us Malaysian ladies gather together to made this. As usual the ladies tried to teach me but I fail miserably. I guess I still need a lot of practice. End up Michelle and Roselind made all the dumplings ;). I took some pictures of our dumplings making session to share it with you.
Getting all the ingredients ready for the dumplings.
The wrapping begins.
Fold the bamboo leaves into cone shape.
Filled the bottom part with a bit of rice.
Follow by the fillings of meat, mushroom, chestnut, black eye peas.
Top it up with the rice again.
Wrap it up.
Tie it with a string.
Viola!! all ready to be boil.
The ladies busy at work. As for me I am busy taking photos ;)
We made a lot. All ready to be boil.
After 2 hours of boiling.
This is how it look like after unwrapping the leaves.
This is how it look like on the inside.
Thanks Choy, Roselind and Michelle. I had a great time learning from you ladies.
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