Sheraton Saigon dragon boat dumplings are exquisitely hand-made from the finest ingredients. VNS Photo Văn Châu

HCM CITY – To celebrate the time-honored traditions of the Dragon Boat Festival, Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel proudly debuts its gourmet sticky rice dumpling collection with signature creations by the Cantonese veteran chefs of Li Bai restaurant.

This year marks a notable launch in conjuction with the hotel's newly renovated Li Bai culinary concept, bringing an ever-innovative design inspired by the local folk stories alongside nostalgic flavors with contemporary enhancements.

Sticky rice dumplings, also known as zong zi or bak zhang, as well as dragon boat racing, are traditions linked with this festival.

Handcrafted from glutinous rice and filled with various ingredients such as meat, beans, salted egg yolk, nuts, and then wrapped in bamboo leaves before being cooked, dragon boat dumplings come with many variations in shape, from triangle and square to round.

In Việt Nam, zong zi can be broadly categorised into Vietnamese style and Chinese style, mainly Southern Chinese-style.

While Vietnamese sticky rice dumplings are known as bánh ú nước tro, with a sweeter taste and triangle appearance popular in Northern Việt Nam, the Chinese style in HCM City are filled in pyramid and pillow shapes with savoury ingredients, including salted egg yolk, pork, shiitake mushrooms, mung beans, taro and chicken, leaving a rich and decadent filling.

Entering the fifth year of the hotel's handcrafted zong zi production, Li Bai under Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel unveils a luxurious collection of four best-selling flavors showcasing exquisite ingredients and masterful artisanal techniques.

This year’s fillings include both classic and creative flavours, namely Abalone and dried scallop, Char siew pork and Iberico ham, Chicken and foie gras, Soy tempeh, wild mushroom and truffle.

The dragon boat dumplings are recommended and best enjoyed with Li Bai’s staple sauce, XO Sauce, freshly-made in house with a gourmet blend of dried scallops, shallots, garlic, chilli, dried shrimp, shrimp roe and more. Li Bai’s artisanal condiment adds a rich punch to the sweet nod of the occasion that makes it difficult to stop at one bite.

Dragon boat dumplings are available for purchase from May 9 to June 10 with the tasting booth at the hotel lobby open from 9 am to 8 pm daily.

Dumplings can be purchased individually or in gift sets and are priced at VND198,000++ per piece for the options of pork or chicken as well as for assorted nuts with mushroom fillings (vegan option) and VND338,000++ per piece for the best-selling dried scallop and abalone.

For more information or to order, call 028 3827 2828 or visit https://www.libaisaigon.com/ . — VNS