Zongzi (Chinese Bamboo-Wrapped Sticky Rice Dumplings)

Soak 500 g glutinous rice for at least 4 hours, until the grains no longer feel hard in the center when pressed.

Boil the 16 bamboo leaves for 30 minutes so they bend without cracking during wrapping.

Cut 300 g pork belly into large chunks so each dumpling gets a distinct piece.

Coat it with 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar, then marinate for 20 minutes so the seasoning penetrates.

Rehydrate the 6 shiitake mushrooms and cut them in half.

Stir-fry them with the marinated pork over medium heat only briefly, stopping when the pork surface looks lightly cooked and the soy and mushroom aroma rises.

Overlap two bamboo leaves and shape them into a cone, then add a base layer of rice first.

Do not overfill; pack in rice, pork with mushroom, and more rice in that order so the top closes cleanly.

Fold the leaves tightly into a triangular bundle and secure them firmly with kitchen twine.

Press each bundle gently with your hand; if it shifts or opens easily, retie it before cooking to prevent the rice from leaking out.

Submerge the zongzi completely in boiling water and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, keeping them covered with water.

Drain and rest for 10 minutes, then unwrap and serve warm when the rice is dense and sticky.