Vegetarian Zongzi/ Sticky Rice Dumplings (Instant Pot or Stove-top)

Step 1

If you are not using pressure cooker to cook, soak the glutinous rice for at least 4 hours

Step 2

Soak the black fungus or shiitake mushrooms in warm water. Cut into smaller pieces

Step 3

Preheat a large skillet. Add cooking oil and stir fry the chye poh until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 4

Add the mushroom and the seasoning and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Off the heat and let it cool down completely and if you prepare few days before, cover and store it in the fridge

Step 5

Preheat a large skillet. Add cooking oil. Add rice and seasonings and stir fry for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Turn off the heat and transfer to a large bowl and let it cool down

Step 6

Generally, you will need about 2 leaves, stacked on top of each other. If you have ragged leaves, you can use another leaf to cover by overlapping them so there won't be any leakage. Make sure the smooth side of the leaves is facing you

Step 7

You can refer to the video on how to wrap zongzi. Fold into a cone shape. Fill it up with about 2 Tbsp of rice and use the back of the spoon to pack it in and slightly create a well in the middle for the filling

Step 8

Add the filling and beans. Top again with more sticky rice, filling up almost 3/4 of the cone. Make sure you really pack it down so the dumpling will be nice and tight later

Step 9

Fold one side down. Fold the opposite side down. Most people don't fold the two sides and go straight to folding the top part down (as shown in the next step). But I feel like this helps me to wrap "neater" and shows the triangle shape better

Step 10

Fold the top part down. Fold in both sides. You'll have this extra piece on top now. Simply fold it down to either one of the side

Step 11

Tie with a string. Repeat with the rest of the filling and rice

Step 12

Fill up the inner pot halfway with water. Press saute and bring water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Place the zongzi in the inner pot of instant pot. I can cook 12-14 dumplings in my 6-quart instant pot. Top up with more water to make sure it covers the zongzi if necessary

Step 13

Cover the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on "high pressure". Set the timer to 1 hour. Release pressure immediately after that

Step 14

Carefully open the lid and use a tong to gently remove the zongzi from the pot to a cooling rack. Let the water drips down. The zongzi will still be soft to touch. I recommend waiting 24 hours before eating them

Step 15

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Place the zongzi in a large pot. Bring it back to a boil and then cover and lower the heat to let them gently boil for the next 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If the zongzi is large in size you may need 3 hours or so. At the end of cooking time, you can take one out to see if it's cooked through. If the rice doesn't stick to the leaves and doesn't fall apart and the rice holds together nicely, it's done. If the rice falls apart, you need to boil them longer

Step 16

Carefully use a tong to gently remove the zongzi from the pot to a cooling rack to let it cool down for 24 hours before eating them. They will still be soft to touch, but will firm up once they are cooled down completely