Salted Egg & Pork Rice Dumpling

Time：2 hours

Servings：30~40 rice dumplings

Suitable for：Dragon Boat Festival

Ingredients：
• Bamboo leaves 100 pieces
• Hemp string 40 pieces
• Glutinous rice 2kg (pre-soaked overnight)
• Dried shiitake mushrooms 30 pieces
• Shelled chestnuts 20-30 pieces
• Dried shrimp 200g
• Salted egg yolk 20-30 pieces
• Pork belly 500g
• Ginger slices to taste
• Spring onion chunks 1 large stick
• Star anise 3 pieces
• Chili 2 pieces
• Sugar to taste
• Chinese five spice powder 1/2 tablespoon
• Ground pepper powder to taste
• Soy sauce 60ml
• Oil as needed
• Water as needed

Steps：
1. Cut off the stems and tips of the leaves and soak in water until soft. Scrub both sides well, rinse and keep in clean water until ready for use.
2. Soak the mushrooms, chestnuts and dried shrimp until soft. Set aside until ready for use.
3. Pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes, then bake the salted egg yolks on a baking tray for 5-10 minutes, discarding the excess oil. Set aside until ready for use.
4. Wash the pork belly and dice. Stir-fry the ginger slices, spring onions, star anise and chili until fragrant. Add the pork and stir-fry until the oil is light yellow. Add the softened mushrooms, chestnuts and shrimp and fry for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the sugar, five-spice powder, pepper powder and soy sauce. Add in enough water to the pan to submerge the contents and simmer for 40 minutes.
6. In another pan, stir-fry the drained glutinous rice with oil. Slowly add liquid from the pork, stirring until absorbed. Repeat until half the volume of liquid to rice has been absorbed.
7. Now we can start assembling the rice dumplings! Lay two leaves across your hand (head-to-head, tail-to-tail) so that they are overlapping each other. Form a small cone shape, and fill with a layer of rice, filling, then another layer of rice.
8. When wrapping the rice dumplings, keep a firm hold of the ends of the cone in your left hand, and fold up the ends of the leaves with your right hand, wrapping tightly following the shape of the cone. Use string to secure the dumpling tightly around its middle.
9. Bring a large pot of water to boil and place the dumplings inside (the water should submerge the dumplings). Cover and boil for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot sit covered for another 10 minutes.