Sea Dragon Meat Rice Dumplings Introduction
The founder of "Hailong Meat Zongzi," Hsin Hai-shu, returned home from the Philippines after serving as a "Japanese soldier" at the age of 20. He started selling meat zongzi and vegetable zongzi at the traditional market near the Daitian Temple in Tainan City. Because everyone called him "Hailong" (Sea Dragon), he named his shop "Hailong Meat Zongzi." Hailong Meat Zongzi is made by filling bamboo leaves with stir-fried minced pork, uncooked glutinous rice, chunks of meat, salted duck egg, shiitake mushrooms, and peanuts, which are tightly bound together. Except for the minced pork, everything else is raw. The zongzi are boiled in water, with additional water added during the cooking process. After two hours, the delicious Hailong Meat Zongzi is ready. The owner of Hailong Meat Zongzi claims that their zongzi "can be eaten often without causing acidity, because the glutinous rice is washed and then immediately drained, which not only reduces gastric acid secretion but also increases the chewy texture of the zongzi."
