Cantonese Pork Belly Zongzi Recipe

Cantonese Pork Belly Zongzi is a delicious and meaningful way to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. This traditional dish features glutinous rice stuffed with tender pork belly, salted duck egg yolks, mung beans, mushrooms, and peanuts—all wrapped in bamboo leaves and simmered to perfection. Rooted in the ancient legend of Qu Yuan, zongzi symbolize remembrance, community, and home-cooked love. If you’ve ever wanted to try making them at home, this recipe walks you through every step.

Cantonese Pork Belly Zongzi Recipe

Makes: 12 zongzi
Prep time: Overnight, plus 1 hour
Cook time: 2 hours

For the pork belly:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 pound pork belly, cut into 1/3-inch slices

For the sticky rice:
4 cups glutinous rice, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil

For the mung beans:
2 cups skinless mung beans, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar

For the peanuts:
1 cup peanuts, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar

For assembly:
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
1/4 cup dried shrimp, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained
2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
36 bamboo leaves, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained (2 per zongzi, plus extras)
12 salted duck egg yolks

Cantonese Pork Belly Zongzi Instructions

1. Marinate the pork belly:

• In a bowl, mix soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, five-spice powder, white pepper, salt, and sugar.
• Add pork belly slices and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Soak ingredients overnight:

• In separate bowls, rinse and soak the glutinous rice, mung beans, peanuts, mushrooms, shrimp, and bamboo leaves overnight. Drain each before use.

3. Prepare fillings:

• In a bowl, mix drained sticky rice with soy sauce, salt, sugar, and cooking oil.
• In a bowl, toss mung beans with salt and sugar.
• In a pot, boil peanuts with salt and sugar over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Skim off any loosened skins, drain, and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients and stir to mix.
• Slice soaked mushrooms and drain the shrimp.
• In a pan over high heat, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Stir-fry pork belly over medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Add mushrooms, shrimp, and prepared sauce. Stir-fry for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Assemble the zongzi:

• Trim the tough tips off bamboo leaves. Use 2 leaves per zongzi.
• In a pan, lightly brush one leaf with cooking oil and overlap with the second. Flip and fold to create a cone shape.
• Fill cone in this order: 1 tablespoon rice, 1 tablespoon mung beans, 2½ tablespoons pork mixture, 1 salted duck yolk, ½ tablespoon peanuts, 1 tablespoon mung beans, and 2½ tablespoons rice. Adjust amounts to fit.
• Fold leaves tightly over the filling and wrap securely with kitchen twine. Repeat to make 12 zongzi.

5. Cook the zongzi:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Submerge zongzi completely, cover, and cook over medium heat for 2 hours.
• Check water level every 30 minutes and top up with hot water to keep zongzi submerged.
• Remove from pot, drain thoroughly, and let rest for 1 hour before unwrapping. This helps them hold their shape.

Tips & notes

• Choose your fillings: Cantonese-style zongzi are typically savory, but red bean paste, chestnuts, or Chinese sausage can be used for variety.
• Leaf prep: Be sure to soak and rinse bamboo leaves thoroughly to remove any bitterness and dirt.
• Oiling the leaves: Brushing with a little cooking oil prevents sticking and makes unwrapping easier.
• Freezing: Cooked zongzi freeze well. Let cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze. Reheat by steaming until hot.