Tuesday, June 19, 2007

:+: Happy Rice Dumpling Day :+:

Here's a happy looking Rice Dumpling.
Wishing all Happy Zhang (Rice Dumpling) Day~

Duan Wu Jie aka Dumpling Festival or Dragon Boat Festival is a day to remember the poet Qu Yuan, who was a loyal official in the court of the Chu Kingdom in old China. Other officials told lies about Qu Yuan to the emperor. The weak emperor believed the evil officials and asked Qu Yuan to leave the court. Over 20 years, the Chu kingdom got weaker. Qu Yuan was very sad that his beloved country was controlled by another country, the Qin Kingdom. He then decided to end his life by jumping into the river aka suicide. Fisherman who heard that Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river set sail on boats to look for his body. When they could not find it, they threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river so that the fish in the river would eat the rice instead of his body. The traditions of dragon boat races and eating rice dumplings on Duan Wu Jie thus begin.

Every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar (sometime in June as today), Rice Dumpling is specially eaten on this particular day. On this day too, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated. I remember last time, we used to have those boat race at Waterfront, Kuching. But then, I don't hear about it anymore. *sigh*


:+: Nyonya Rice Dumpling @ RM2 :+:
This Bak Zhang is bought from a lady who sells at Kopitiams. We bought from her at Sin Poh Poh Kopitiam. Every Sunday, around 9am she'll be walking around the kopitiam with a basket of Panggang (Glutinous rice with sambal filling @ RM1) and a basket of Bak Zhang. We would buy from her everytime we have our breakfast there. Her Nyonya Bak Zhang is very delicious. Not too kiam siap on the filling too. A lot of meat in there. XD

Here's a picture of her. XD

2 comments:

yomi said...

bak zhang!! I miss!! want want!! yummy yummy!!

a n n n a said...

yomi: say earlier lar.. i save some for u.. XDDDD