The Dragon Boat Festival and the making of rice dumplings commemorates the life and death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese scholar, politician, and poet.
He lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States period, third century BCE.
Legend has it that he was born into a noble family and achieved a high position in the court as a young man in his 20s.
However, his appeal for a political overhaul saw court officials frame him for conspiracy, which sent him into exile.
During his exile, he wrote many poems to drown his anger, where he expressed deep love and concern for Chu and its people.
In 278 BC, the Chu State was defeated by the Qin State, which drove Qu Yuan to great despair, and he chose to end his life by attaching a stone to his chest and drowning himself in the Milou River.
The Chu people, who had never doubted Qu Yuan, launched a rescue mission on boats to search for him. However, he was never to be found.
To prevent his body from being eaten by fish, people threw cooked rice into the river, hoping that would distract the fish.
The following year, people began wrapping rice in bamboo leaves to mark the occasion.
Today, many thousands of miles away from where Quan Yu vanished, the Dragon Boat Festival continues to bring with it rice dumplings of every variety.
This year the Dragon Boat Festival falls on 31 May 2025, but bak zhang or Zongzi (粽子), also known as sticky rice dumplings, are already being sold at eateries and market stalls.
Dumpling makers across Auckland get more creative with their renditions each year, and these are a few that are available at the Chow Luck Club Foodie Market that will suit many different tastes.
88 SPICES NONYA CHANG AND KUEH PIE TEE
Founder and chef Yok Har Lee started her business with a passion of preserving her Peranakan heritage and recipes. Her signature zhang is the Peranakan variant of the traditional bak chang known as Nyonya Bak Chang ($8). It is known for its sweet, savoury flavour, distinctive blue-tinged glutinous rice and fillings that include minced pork belly, coriander powder and little chunks of candied winter melon, adding a touch of sweetness.
This Saturday will also see Lee’s introduction to her Kueh Pie Tee, with handmade crispy pastry shell stuffed with a variety of vegetables, prawns and a mix of spices. This snack dish resembles an upside-down hat and is also known as “top hat” in parts of Malaysia and Singapore.
AILIMTEH HOKKIEN AND GOLDEN CURRY BAK CHANG
The Hokkien glutinous dumplings ($13) by Ellen Teh are wholesome and packed with ingredients. It has indulgent braised pork belly, dried oyster, mushrooms, dried shrimp, salted egg yolk and water chestnut. This is a dumpling that is pretty much a meal in itself.
Making a debut this year at her Ailimteh market stall is her Golden Curry Bak Chang ($9). Tender morsels of pork belly are simmered with a curried turmeric sauce to a rich sticky consistency before being used as a filling.
Teh also does Nyonya Chang ($9) that comes stuffed with winter melon, mushrooms, shredded coconut, winter melon, sambal paste and Peranakan spices.
SHELLEY’S KITCHEN CHICKEN AND TRADITIONAL BAK ZHANG
Shelley Loh of Shelley’s Kitchen not only specializes in a variety of curry puffs with different fillings but also produces her own bak chang (all $12), which she makes from scratch.
If you’re not into pork, then the one to have is Shelley’s new Chicken Chang. Tender chicken pieces are simmered in high-quality sauces and spices, and mushrooms, chestnuts, peanuts and salted egg yolks are then added along with the chicken to fill the dumplings.
All her classics are also back this year, including the traditional pork zhang with pork, salted egg yolk, mushrooms, chestnuts and an option of either peanuts, mung bean or black-eyed peas.
Also new at her stall will be her take on the Nyonya Chang, which are packed with pork, mushrooms, winter melon, dried shrimp, garlic, shallots and chilli.
Chow Luck Club Foodie Market is on this Saturday, 5 April, and the next 12 April 2025 at ParkCity, 261 Morrin Road, St John’s, Auckland.
