Similar to Latin American tamales, I grew up eating the Chinese variation of this family classic, also known as zhong (in Cantonese), or zhongzi (in Mandarin). The term zhong literally means rice dumpling. Tamales and zhong share similar characteristics in that both are wrapped in various types of leaves and take many hours, if not more, to make. I can also safely say that both are typically eaten for special occasions. Notice that I said typically – I have the luxury of enjoying them all year-round because of my awesome relatives who make them for me.

The history behind zhong came about to honor Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet who ended his life in a river due to political events. According to popular legend, villagers paid respect to Qu by throwing packets of rice into the river so that fish and other creatures would not consume his body. Zhong now remains as a traditional Chinese food that is enjoyed among families during the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (sometimes around June of of the Gregorian calendar). For me, I suppose I honor Qu at all times of the year

So what exactly is inside a tetrahedral-shaped, bamboo leaf wrapped zhong? There are many varieties, but I have grown up eating zhong with a combination (sometimes all at once if I’m lucky) of the following:

• Glutinous white rice
• Roasted and/or marinated pork
• Shitake mushroom
• Preserved salted egg yolk
• Peanuts
• Mung beans
• Green split peas
• Chinese sausage
• Chestnuts
• Dried shrimp

Yes, this is quite a weird hodgepodge of ingredients that a normal person would probably not put together voluntarily. When used independently, I would say these are pretty typical ingredients in southern Chinese cuisine. Where and when my relatives grew up, not many people could afford these ingredients (or they just weren’t available), so these were considered gourmet in a villager’s perspective. However, the gourmet part of it is still true; many store-bought versions have a fraction of the above ingredients, and some might only have a piece of meat inside. I consider them a wealth of goodies because they all contribute to a rich and flavorful food that truly satisfies your hunger. The bamboo leaves give the zhong an incredibly scrumptious earthy flavor that captures the essence of the leaves. The glutinous rice also brings it all together in a sticky, gooey fashion.

The zhong making process is pretty onerous, and I applaud my relatives for putting so much effort into making them for me. You may also be asking, what could be so complicated about wrapping rice and other goods in some leaves? The main ingredients that hold it together actually require the most work, which are the bamboo leaves and rice. Both ingredients require overnight soaking, and on top of that, the bamboo leaves also need to be washed and scrubbed, one by one. When purchased, the leaves come dry and brittle, so they need some attentive care. The filling ingredients are not as complicated, but the process of gathering and preparing them for zhong-making takes time. The pork typically needs to be marinated, the salted egg yolks (usually duck eggs) need to be separated from the whites, the shitake mushrooms need soaking to revive them from the dried form, and so forth. The rice is flavored with salt and sometimes a pinch of five spice powder.

Once all the ingredients are ready to go, they need to come together somehow. To me, the hardest part is packaging a zhong together to look like a tetrahedral cylinder shape as perfectly shown in the above pictures. I have tried it before alongside with my great aunt, and mine looked awful compared to her perfect ones in which she completes at 10 times the speed of me. And finally, after the wrapping part is finished, the zhong need to be cooked by being simmered in a large stockpot for several hours.

The cooked zhong can then be eaten immediately or cooled for freezer storage. As a busy traveling person, the freezer option works best for me. My freezer is stocked full of zhong, ready to eat whenever I feel like it. I simply microwave one in a bowl, submerged in water, for 5-6 minutes. It’s fabulous. Mine get shipped in my 21″ carry-on luggage bag when I travel from CA to IL – I always wonder if the TSA personnel ever think they are grenades or something from the X-ray machine.

It’s always fun to untie the kitchen twine that holds the zhong together and slowly unravel the leaves, getting one step closer to the yummy goodies inside. I think this process is somehow quicker when one is hungry, too:

I have to be careful because it’s extremely hot, and the steam can be painful. Once unwrapped, the specimen looks like such:

Now it is time to dissect and demystify a zhong, gently splitting it right down the middle (no scalpel needed here; chopsticks work fine):

See, that’s all there is to it! It’s not that foreign anymore, right?

And just as savory French crepes have a sweet counterpart, there is a sweet version of zhong, too (called gan sui zhong in Cantonese, or jianshui zhongzi in Mandarin). I may feature that varietal in a future post. Until next time, readers!

I registered for the restaurant’s monthly paella cooking class with the intent of getting hands-on experience making paella from scratch. Little did I know, I arrived finding out that the class was more of a demonstration session by one of the chefs while the audience was served a six course brunch. I was slightly disappointed. Plus, having four different types of wine to pair with the courses before noon was quite ambitious even though I adore wine. Chef Cottini began the class by providing the audience with a brief background and history on paella, along with describing several of its main ingredients. He then verbally polled the audience by asking questions like “Who has ever eaten tapas?” and “Who has ever eaten paella?” About 90% of the crowd raised their hands for the first two questions. The final question was “Who has ever made paella?” All hands fell, yet mine shyly remained risen. Hmm…okay, now what. “Well then, you get to come cook paella with me!” Before I knew it, I was cooking side by side with him, shadowing his every step. It was totally uncalled for, but what a thrill!

According to the Paella cookbook that was given for us to keep, the word “Paella” defines the utensil used to cook the dish: a flat bottom, lidless frying pan without the “tail”, yet with two handles, and many little dents or “dimples” in a circular pattern that are essential for cooking the rice and achieving authentic and traditional flavors. I bought one from Cafe Iberico’s deli for a bargain price of $10:

The recipe below is adapted from the Paella Cookbook, created by the executive chefs of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. Some of the key ingredients that truly make the dish outstanding are saffron, Spanish rice (medium grain), and chicken stock. The saffron creates a luscious, deep golden color in the rice, with a floral fragrance unlike any other spice, therefore being the most expensive spice in the world. Rice and stock are also essential to paella because the Spanish rice variety absorbs liquids extremely well, allowing the stock to add flavor and depth without the grains getting mushy like risotto. The flavor complexity of paella is simply amazing.

Paella Valenciana Recipe

Preparation time: 35 minutes (5 minutes ingredients preparation, 10 minutes stovetop, 20 minutes oven and rest)
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2/3 cup pork tenderloin, diced
• 2/3 cup boneless skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1 clove)
• 1 teaspoon sweet pimenton (paprika)
• ½ cup tomato puree
• 1 ¼ cup Spanish rice
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron, simmered in 4 ounces of water and removed from heat to cool
• 1 cup frozen Italian green beans
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, heated but not boiling
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)

Tools

• Oven
• Small saucepan (for saffron water)
• Medium saucepan (for chicken stock)
• Chef knife and cutting board
• 13 inch paella pan
• Tongs or wooden spoon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring chicken stock to a simmer and keep warm.
2. In the paella pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the pork and chicken together until golden brown (do not move the meat around too much; allow to sear on each side to get a good color).
3. Add the garlic, sweet pimenton, and tomato puree; mix to combine. While constantly stirring, add the Spanish rice, saffron water, snap peas, and chicken stock. Continue cooking until the rice begins to rise. Add fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs; season with salt and bring to a boil. At this point you may taste the cooking liquid and adjust seasonings as needed.
4. Place pan in the oven for 17 minutes, until liquid is mostly absorbed into the rice. Before serving, let it rest for at least 2 minutes to allow rice to finish absorbing the liquid completely. Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs before serving.

Selina’s Notes

• It is best to use homemade chicken stock (recipe coming later), but store-bought cartons are fine too, as long as it is the low-sodium type
• To get a nice crunchy, caramelized crust on the edges and bottom (like the kind on brownies and lasagna), you can try returning the paella to the stove over high heat immediately after coming out of the oven. After 1-2 minutes, remove from heat and allow time for paella to rest.
• The first ten minutes of the recipe (before going into the oven) moves quickly. I found it easiest to measure out all ingredients and arrange in groups before beginning.
• Spanish cooking tools and ingredients can be purchased at Tienda and PaellaPans

The version below is my own variation of fried rice I learned from my mother in my childhood days. It is also very ‘vanilla’ because the ingredients are fairly basic and ordinary. Learning the method is foundational; once the process is down, the possibilities are endless. Since it only takes 10 minutes, it is meat-free and the eggs are what I call freestyle (in the normal version, I neatly dice the eggs after being cooked pancake-omelet style). Of course, if you happen to have deli meat or other prepared meat on hand, throw it on in! Cooking fried rice is a time to be creative.

A quick background behind this recipe – I love the concept of quick cooking (e.g., 30-Minute Meals) when the situation calls for it, and I was put up to the test one day when Sean called me on his way home from work: “I’m going to be home in 15 minutes. Is there anything to eat?” I perused the pantry and fridge and told him I’d figure something out. Sure enough, there was a bowl of leftover white rice and a carton of eggs in the fridge. The freezer was also stocked with peas and carrots (I don’t know when it isn’t!). Hence, 10-minute fried rice came to life. It’s slightly sweet from the peas, carrots, and oyster sauce, yet savory from the eggs and rice. The oyster and soy sauces also give the fried rice an earthy, golden color. Enjoy!

10-Minute Fried Rice Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots mix, unthawed
• Salt and pepper
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice (preferably jasmine)
• 2 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce (preferably Lee Kum Kee brand; vegetarian variety available)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (preferably Kikkoman brand)
• 2 stalks scallion, finely sliced at a diagonal (optional)
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Tools

• Chef knife and cutting board
• Large wok (or skillet)
• Wooden spoon
• 2 small mixing bowls

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok on high. When oil is almost visibly steaming, add frozen peas and carrot mix and stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until vegetables are heated through and tender. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.
2. Using the same wok, adjust heat to medium-high and bring remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt to a steaming point. Toss in cooked rice and stir frequently to avoid sticking. Immediately add oyster sauce and soy sauce and mix until well distributed.
3. Add in reserved peas and carrots and beaten eggs and stir until eggs are cooked and ingredients are well combined, about 3 minutes. Stir in scallions and cilantro if desired.