Rice dumplings 粽子小常识

Rice dumplings 粽子小常识

Dragon Boat Festival/ Dumpling Festival (端午节) falls on the 5^th day of May in Chinese calendar is to remember the death of famous Chinese Poet Qu Yuan who had sacrificed his life for his country.  The culture of eating rice dumpling on Dumpling Festival (端午节) was originated from packets of rice thrown into the river to prevent fish from eating the Qu's body.  Now, the rice dumpling (粽子) is becoming very popular and it is a must for the Chinese families to celebrate this Dragon Boat Festival.

A little sharing of knowledge about rice dumplings:

1. What are the nutrition values of traditional rice dumplings (salted pork, alkaline water and assorted rice dumpling)?
Traditional rice dumplings are mainly made of glutinous rice with fatty pork, egg yolk, ham, roasted meat and green bean as filling.  Fatty pork contains plenty of fatty acid and cholesterol; recommended daily intake of cholesterol is 300mg for each individual, and a 15g duck egg yolk contains 330mg of cholesterol; bean or lotus seed paste are high in sugar.

The calorie of different types of rice dumplings are as follows:

Types of Rice Dumpling	Calorie	Equal to
Salted Pork	500-600	3 bowl of rice
Alkaline Water	200-300	1 bowl of rice
Assorted	1000-1400	Close to the daily calorie intake for  a petite-size female

2. How much can we consume?
Eating a medium-sized rice dumpling equals to 1/3 daily intake of calorie by an individual. 

Since rice dumplings are high in calorie, so treating them as supper or afternoon tea is not recommended.  It is recommended to consume it as part of a meal (replace carbohydrates such as rice or noodles), during lunch or dinner. 1/4 to 1/2 of a standard size rice dumpling should be the upper intake limit and avoid dipping with too much soy sauce to avoid excessive intake of calorie and sodium. 

It is recommended to eat with vegetables and fruits to increase fiber intake to prevent constipation. And remember to drink more hot Chinese tea especially green tea to ease the digestion.

3. Can rice dumpling be taken on empty stomach as breakfast?

Glutinous rice is very sticky, if taken on empty stomach, it will stay inside our stomach for longer time and stimulate more gastric acid secretions and this subsequently causes gastric, indigestion, flatulence and acid re-flux.

4. Is it harmful to consume traditional rice dumplings on daily and weekly basis?
Yes.  Traditional rice dumplings are high in calorie, saturated fat and cholesterol which are harmful to our heart. Prolonged consumption of a high fat diet may cause fat to accumulate at blood vessel wall and narrow them down. Thus, it may increase the risk of developing heart disease. 

However, bean or lotus seed paste, which is high in sugar, will raise the blood glucose level rapidly. 

Therefore, patients with heart disease, high blood pressure, gout and diabetes should be careful when eating rice dumplings.

6. How long can we store rice dumplings in the fridge?

Freshly-made rice dumplings can be stored inside the fridge as long as 3 days.

If stored inside the deep freezer, it may last longer (up to 6 months). However, the rice dumplings have to be fully cooked upon defrosted to prevent bacteria growth.

7. Can pregnant women consume rice dumplings?

Glutinous rice contains folate and some trace minerals  Find out more HERE. It helps in anemia and enhances energy. The pork and nuts inside the dumping is also suitable for preggie consumption. However, it is too high calories [which will cause dramatic weight gain] and it will cause indigestion and gastric if taken in large amount. Pregnant women might experience worse constipation due to excessive intake of glutinous rice.

8. Can kids eat rice dumplings?

Generally, it’s not recommended for kids below 3 years old to consume rice dumplings as their digestive systems haven’t matured, as a result, it will cause indigestion and flatulence. As the texture of the dumpling is quite sticky hard and difficult to chew, it might cause choking in these young kids by accidents as well.

9. Types of dumplings (yummy-yummy pictures)

LATEST HEALTHY CREATION - Jelly Chang - stay tuned for the recipe

Nyonya Chang

Cantonese Chang

Alkaline Chang with red bean fillings

Gonna work full today, don't have time to taste any of them. But by looking at the pictures, I am satisfied ^_^ 

Happy Dumplings Festival ^_^

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