This year, the Dragon Boat Festival—Duan Wu Jie—falls on Saturday, 31 May, so Chowies (members of the Chow Luck Club) will celebrate with zongzi and dragon beard candy.
On Thursday night, 29 May, at Petaling Malaysian Restaurant, members who have downloaded their ChowLuckCard will get to sample a variety of glutinous rice dumplings, also known as chang or zongzi, and partake in the art of making dragon beard candy.
Many who observe the festival will be familiar with the legend behind the zongzi, which was created to honour the death of Qu Yuan, a revered Chinese poet and patriot, who drowned himself in the Miluo River in 278 BC.
Each year, these sticky rice parcels are eaten in his memory during the Dragon Boat Festival. The original dumplings were simple, consisting of just glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and sometimes filled with a little bean paste.
Ancient Chinese started filling zongzi with ingredients like beans, chestnuts, and dates, and as time went on, dumplings became more varied and luxurious as meat became more accessible.
In Southern China, the fillings often include meat and mushrooms, and in the north, varieties were mainly sweet with ingredients such as red bean is used.
As the Chinese migrated overseas, local influence also changed what goes into the zongzi.
In Malaysia, for example, a popular version is the Nyonya Bak Chang which delivers a sweet, savoury and mildly spicy mix with minced pork and Nyonya spices.
On Thursday, participants will get to savour several varieties of these zongzi, including Nyonya, Hokkien and Cantonese versions.
As part of the celebration, Dragon Beard Candy Master Wang Peng, will be hosting a dragon beard candy demonstration.
Attendees will get to watch Master Wang transform a sticky mass of sugar into delicate white and fluffy strands by stretching them dozens of times.
Dragon Beard Candy is an ancient sweet treat known for its intricate and thread-like appearance, and Master Wang is the fifth generation in his family line that has been making this traditional Chinese candy for more than 200 years.
Dragon Beard Candy is believed to have originated about 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty, created by royal court chefs as a delicacy for the emperor and the royal family. At the time, the sweet treat was reserved exclusively for royalty and is considered a symbol of luxury.
Over time, the candy gained popularity beyond the imperial palace and became a much loved delicacy, especially among the Chinese.
The candy gets its name from its appearance, which resembles the delicate beard of a dragon, a mythical creature that symbolizes power and good fortune.
Dragon Beard Candy and zongzi will also be available for purchase on the night of the event.
UNLEASHING THE DRAGON. A ChowLuckCard Dragon Boat Festival celebration at Petaling Malaysian Restaurant. Thursday 29 May 2025, 6-8pm. 248A Dominion Road, Mount Eden. Note: Event is exclusively for ChowLuckCard members. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
