Directions

1. Soak the glutinous rice in hot water for 1 hour. Don't use boiling-hot water because we don't want to cook the rice - Just as hot as your hands can tolerate. Fun fact - glutinous rice does not contain any gluten. It got the name due to its sticky and gluey texture.
2. Cut the skin-on pork belly into bite-size pieces and marinate it with 1/2 tsp of five-spice powder, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of oyster sauce, 2 tsp of dark soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp of salt for at least 1 hour. The longer, the better. Set it in the fridge for now.
3. Soak the Meigancai with water for 15 minutes to reduce the sodium. Drain it and squeeze the excess moisture. Rinse it one more time and drain it again. Set it aside.  Meigancai is made of fermented mustard green, then repeatedly dehydrated and steamed until it accumulates a distinctive, salty, and savory flavor, which makes the zongzi addictively delicious.
4. Turn the heat to medium. Add 3 Tbsp of cooking oil, 3 tbsp of minced garlic, 3 tbsp of diced shallot, and 3 tbsp of minced scallion to a wok. Sauté over low heat for a few minutes until the edges of the aromatics turn lightly golden.
5. Add the rinsed Meigancai, season it with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and stir over medium heat for a few minutes. Set it aside.
6. If using fresh bamboo leaves, rinse with water thoroughly. If using dried bamboo leaves, check this video to learn how to rehydrate them. Cover the bamboo leaves with a damp towel so they don't dry out.
7. By now, the glutinous rice should be done soaking, drian it well.
8. Turn the heat to medium and add a few tablespoons of cooking oil, the soaked glutinous rice, and 1 Tbsp of dark soy sauce. Stir over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the grains become slightly sticky, so it will be much easier to shape and wrap later.
9. Before wrapping, please distinguish between the rough and smooth sides of the bamboo leaves. The rough side has a convex stem; it should be facing out when wrapping. The smooth side is non-stick so it should be in contact with the glutinous rice.
10. Partially stack 2 bamboo leaves together with the smooth side facing up. Then, fold it slightly off the center into an ice cream cone. Make sure to over-lab the corner so the rice will not fall out.
11. Put some glutinous rice in the bamboo cone. Use a chopstick to stir it a few times to make sure the grains fill up the corner.
12. Add two pieces of pork, along with some Maigancai, then fill up the rest of the space with more glutinous rice.
13. Tightly pack the rice using a spoon. Fold the upper leaves down. Then, fold the side edge down. Do the same thing to the other side. Pinch the front and fold it to the side. You should get something that looks like a pyramid.
14. Tie the zongzi with kitchen twine. Just a few cycles, and it should be secured. This recipe is enough to make 12-15 zongzi sp continue to wrap the rest.
15. Fill a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. Drop in your zongzi and place a plate on the top to make sure all the zongzi are immersed under the water. Simmer the zongzi for 2.5 hours.
16. Once done, your kitchen will be filled with a beautiful aroma of garlic, shallots, and meigancai—it's absolutely mouthwatering. Just opening one zongzi is enough to make your stomach growl.
17. Unwrap the zongzi and enjoy. Zongzi can stay good in the freezer for 4 months and 5 days in the fridge.