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Joong & Joongzi: The Topic

Dejah

By Dejah
in China: Cooking & Baking

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hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted

June is just around the corner... you know what that means!

Dragon Boat Festival is June 11 this year.

Last year I was really busy and I missed this cook-off. May I time-shift this by 12 months and do the Joong entry this year? :biggrin:

I am just wondering where to get the salty egg yolks. I have very bad experiences buying salted eggs from local Asian markets as well as from 99 Ranch. Everytime I bought 1/2 doz home, broke the eggs open, then found the eggs were bad. Foul! :wacko: These were supposed to be preserved! I have lost all confidence in them.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Tepee

Tepee

Posted
Posted (edited)

SOS Dai Gah Jeh. She's made them before, soaking the eggs in saline solution for around 2, 3 weeks?

Yay! Ah Leung Gaw is making joong this year. Great! Who else? I'll be making some...haven't decided which types yet.

Edited by Tepee (log)

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

sheetz

sheetz

Posted
Posted (edited)

I made several large batches of joong over the winter for practice and I don't know if I'm all that much in the mood for making more joong this year! :laugh: Oh well, I guess I can always give them away. I plan to use homemade salted chicken eggs. The only duck eggs I have access to are the cooked variety.

Maybe I'll try making gan sui joong. I've never made those before.

Edited by sheetz (log)
hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted
[...]

I plan to use homemade salted chicken eggs. The only duck eggs I have access to are the cooked variety.

sheetz: Did you find salted chicken eggs very similar to duck eggs in taste? I am tempted to make my own salte eggs but may not have a good source for duck eggs.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
sheetz

sheetz

Posted
Posted
[...]

I plan to use homemade salted chicken eggs. The only duck eggs I have access to are the cooked variety.

sheetz: Did you find salted chicken eggs very similar to duck eggs in taste? I am tempted to make my own salte eggs but may not have a good source for duck eggs.

Duck eggs have a brighter orange color and maybe a richer flavor, but overall I think it's not a bad substitute, especially in joong when the flavors of all the filling ingredients are melded together.

When I made the salted chicken eggs I was experimenting with homemade mooncakes. In those you can probably tell a bigger difference.

hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted
Dragon Boat Festival is June 11 this year. 

I am sorry, Dragon Boat Festival this year is May 31, 2006. I was reading a website that got this date wrong. June 11 was 2005's DBF.

Phewwwww... only 4 more weeks to prepare. How long would it take to make my own salted eggs? :laugh::laugh:

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Dejah

Dejah

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

You have plenty of time to salt your eggs for joong. At my local Safeway store, I can buy double yolk chicken eggs. This way, I can "kill 2 birds......" :laugh:

Make sure the brine is strong enough. Test this by floating an egg in it. If it floats, it's strong enough. Let the brine cool completely, then add the eggs. Place a plate on top to keep the eggs submerged. The yolks should be ready to use in 3-4 weeks. Test one at 3 weeks.

I've had good luck with store bought salted eggs, so I won't bother brining my own. So little time, so much to do!

I am down to my last 6 joong in the freezer. Po-PO is already talking about "how much slower" she will be this year at age 98. :wink:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

Ben Hong

Ben Hong

Posted
Posted

Hey, would it help if I posted my mailing address here? Just trolling....trolling.....

Dejah, your Mother is an amazing woman, please pass along my best wishes.

nessa

nessa

Posted
Posted

Several years ago I decided to make "Joong" after having some made by friends. My version is so not authentic, and probably combines at least three different cultural cuisines, but its really good! I call 'em Texas Style Joong!

I typically smoke a brisket in the spring, and save all that lovely smoked beef fat cap.

I use bananna leaves, yellow mung beans, the fat <maybe a little brisket if theres any left over>, rice, salt and pepper. They are simple, but truely delicious. I'm inspired to make some again this year, thanks for the reminder.

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

hi guys, does everyone put dried shrimp in their joong? personally I like the dried shrimps, but some people don't. I'm not sure if its one of those things that if you don't add dried shrimps in it you can't call it joong. but for the most part all the joong that I've had from dimsum places and ones from the asian market has at least one or two if they are being frugal with the dried shrimp.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

nessa,

Do you boil the joong that you wrap in banana leaves?

aznsailorboi: I always put dried shrimp in joong, and I've never been accused to being frugal. :raz: I usually buy the larger ones, so they retain their shape even after 3 hours of boiling.

A consolation, Ben Sook: You plan on coming west in 2007 for hunting, so I will have another batch waiting for you then. :wink:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

Diann

Diann

Posted
Posted
They were labelled as "Taiwanese style zongzi".  They shaped more like a long pillow than a triangular pyramid.  (Sorry, no pictures).  I opened up one.  The glutinous rice is dark brown.  It looked like in Taiwanese style, they mix soy sauce with the glutinous rice before boiling.  The saltiness flavor is already there.  No need to drip on soy sauce.

I must say that I was quite disappointed.  There was only one piece of pork inside the joong.  No mung bean, no black mushroom, nothing else other than glutinous (with soy sauce flavored) and pork.

Is this truly the Taiwanese style zongzi?  Seems too simplistic.

Funny... this is EXACTLY what I crave. These are the zongzi I grew up eating and I love 'em to death -- don't like all that egg and peanut mucking up my rice and meat!

And I found a recipe: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=44225

Granted, it seems like nobody on this thread will be making that style but me, and maybe Gary Soup :smile:

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
They were labelled as "Taiwanese style zongzi".

Funny... this is EXACTLY what I crave. These are the zongzi I grew up eating and I love 'em to death -- don't like all that egg and peanut mucking up my rice and meat!

Just pass the egg and peanuts onto my plate, please. :biggrin:

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

sheetz

sheetz

Posted
Posted (edited)
Granted, it seems like nobody on this thread will be making that style but me, and maybe Gary Soup :smile:

Heehee. Gary thinks we put corn and Ball Park franks in our joong. :laugh:

Edited by sheetz (log)
Tepee

Tepee

Posted
Posted

:sad: Too bad it doesn't fall in June. Pretty busy in May.

No matter. This year, I've decided to go non-traditional, since I usually get traditional freebies from our mothers. Will be doing:

Green Tea Joong with Red Bean Filling

Ketupat-style Joong with Spicy Beef Rendang

If there is time, I'll do Turmeric Rice Joong with Dried Prawn Sambal.

If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipes (from last year's Flavours Magazine).

TPcal!

Food Pix (plus others)

Please take pictures of all the food you get to try (and if you can, the food at the next tables)............................Dejah

sheetz

sheetz

Posted
Posted
:sad: Too bad it doesn't fall in June. Pretty busy in May.

No matter. This year, I've decided to go non-traditional, since I usually get traditional freebies from our mothers. Will be doing:

Green Tea Joong with Red Bean Filling

Ketupat-style Joong with Spicy Beef Rendang

If there is time, I'll do Turmeric Rice Joong with Dried Prawn Sambal.

If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipes (from last year's Flavours Magazine).

Please do! Those sound really good!

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
:sad: Too bad it doesn't fall in June. Pretty busy in May.

No matter. This year, I've decided to go non-traditional, since I usually get traditional freebies from our mothers. Will be doing:

Green Tea Joong with Red Bean Filling

Ketupat-style Joong with Spicy Beef Rendang

If there is time, I'll do Turmeric Rice Joong with Dried Prawn Sambal.

If anyone is interested, I'll post the recipes (from last year's Flavours Magazine).

Please do! Those sound really good!

For me, Please do too!

I have never had time to make joong in May. It's always been June.

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

nessa

nessa

Posted
Posted
nessa,

Do you boil the joong that you wrap in banana leaves?

Yes, I make them in a rectanglular shape, tie them and boil them. I think for 2-3 hours as I recall. I LOVE the flavor the banana leaves impart to the rice. I hope I made notes......

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

I'd be making some probably next week over the weekend, I just have to find good quality bamboo leaves, the last ones that I got were narrow and short, not enough surface area to cover the rest of the tetrahedron, haha I had to patch it up later on with extra leaves before trussing it with twine. The joong that I know while growing up is the Taiwanese kind, with the soy sauce already incorporated. but even when seasoned with soy sauce, you still have to dip it in some, coz the boiling part removes the saltiness, but the flavor and color does stay. Last time I made it I had fatty pork marinated in soy sauce, dried shrimp, lotus seeds, chestnuts, dried mushroom, lap cheung in the center, and alot of sauteed shallots and spanish onions incorporated in the rice and a couple of splashes of superior soy sauce, salt and sugar( Auntie Sue-On I used your proportion on the salt and sugar :biggrin: the sweet salty taste was perfect ).

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted
nessa,

Do you boil the joong that you wrap in banana leaves?

Yes, I make them in a rectanglular shape, tie them and boil them. I think for 2-3 hours as I recall. I LOVE the flavor the banana leaves impart to the rice. I hope I made notes......

Nessa,

The banana leaves does have that certain fragrance to it, but when you get a chance you should also try using the Bamboo leaves, as that does have a distict flavor and fragrance that it imparts on the rice. and I'm not sure if banana leaves can withstand 4 hrs of boiling.

Tim

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I can only get frozen banana leaves here, and I don't imagine they will hold up the same.

The Asian store I frequent has been getting packaged bamboo leaves the last couple of years. I like to buy them early, more than I need each year if I can find long wide ones. So far, I have been lucky.

The few small leaves I find, Po-Po makes into "yurn gok" shapes (goat horn)for the little ones.

aznsailorboi: I'm glad you found the seasoning proportion worked out well...but salt and sugar? I think mine were salt and MSG. :wink: But, if they tasted good, that's fine!

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

nessa

nessa

Posted
Posted

I used frozen banana leaves the first time and boiled them for about 3 hours. They held up just fine. MAN I'm craving joong now. Must go shopping for leaves.

I've had joong in both banana leaves and bamboo leaves. Both are tasty, but I'm not talented enough to wrap with bamboo. I'm lucky enough to get by with the banana!

  • 3 weeks later...
hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted (edited)

My final exam is just over... Perfect! May 27 Saturday is my day of making joong this year. Would have time to meet the in-laws and pass on the gifts, just before the festival on May 31.

Here is what's on my shopping list:

- Sticky rice

- Mung beans

- Fatty pork? (hmmm... not sure how to slide this under the radar)

- Salted eggs

- Laap cheung (Chinese sausage)

- Chestnuts

- Raw peanuts

- Black mushrooms

- Dried shrimp

- Bamboo leaves - enough to make 30 joong

- Strings to tie the tetrahedrons

Have I forgotten something? :biggrin:

I am wondering if there is anybody else making joong this year.

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
sheetz

sheetz

Posted
Posted (edited)
Have I forgotten something?  :biggrin:

I am wondering if there is anybody else making joong this year.

If you want to impress you can also add some conpoys.

I'm planning to make them, too, although I'm still awaiting Tepee's recipes for "new wave" joong. :raz:

Edited by sheetz (log)
hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted

Hmmm.... dried conpoy. Great idea! I have plenty from my last trip to San Francisco. :smile:

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
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