Making Traditional Zongzi with Bamboo Shoot Leaves

What this video shows

The video follows a cook preparing zongzi, the leaf-wrapped sticky rice parcels eaten in China, using bamboo shoot shells rather than the more familiar bamboo or reed leaves. The work begins with gathering and shelling spotted bamboo shoots, then soaking those shells overnight alongside glutinous rice. Two fillings are made: a savoury one seasoned with soy sauce and Chinese liquor, and an alkaline version using soda ash. The wrapped parcels are simmered for three hours, and the alkaline batch is finished with brown sugar syrup.

At a glance

What stands out

The wrapping material is the surprise here. Instead of buying leaves, the cook shells fresh bamboo shoots and uses those outer sheaths as the wrapper, which ties the dish directly to what is growing nearby. Both the shells and the glutinous rice are soaked overnight, so the recipe cannot be started and finished in one sitting. The two versions show how far apart zongzi can taste: one savoury with soy sauce and liquor, the other made with soda ash, a dietary alkali, and served sweet with brown sugar syrup. The three-hour simmer is the only timing given, and no quantities, prices, or locations appear anywhere in the footage.