OP: How to Make Qingshui Zongzi. (cr佳佳妹)
Qingshui zongzi清水粽, literally Plain Water Zongzi, is the simplest traditional zongzi. It only uses glutinous rice and bamboo leaves as raw materials, without any sweet or savory fillings like red beans pastes, smoke pork or red jujube. After boiling, people usually dip the soft sticky rice zongzi in white sugar or honey before eating. It highlights the natural fresh fragrance of bamboo leaves and the mild sweet taste of glutinous rice. This plain version is especially popular in southern China like Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Chongqing. Guangdong doesn’t have plain water zongzi; they only make jianshui/lye water zongzi碱水粽. Neither has extra fillings, but they are two distinct varieties with totally different flavors.
Authentic plain water zongzi are made narrower and smaller at the tip than regular zongzi. They have a perfectly mild, easy-to-enjoy taste and are steamed until extra tender, making them gentler on the stomach.
