Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival 2023 with a bite of the best rice dumplings in Singapore. They’re a total treat!
According to Chinese folklore, glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves (also known as bak chang or zong zi) are a symbol of tribute during Dragon Boat Festival (it falls on 22 June 2023). Legend has it that these dumplings were thrown into a river where a famous Chinese poet drowned himself – to prevent the fishes from eating his body. Now, they’re a seasonal Chinese delicacy typically enjoyed around this time of the year, often stuffed with ingredients such as meat, chestnuts, mushrooms and salted egg yolk. Hungry for a hearty feast? These restaurants are shaking up the scene with traditional and modern renditions of rice dumplings in Singapore.
Best rice dumplings in Singapore
1. Crystal Jade
Available until 22 June 2023
Eat your fill of delicious dumplings from Crystal Jade’s selection of four sweet and savoury variations. Try the new scallion oil chicken with preserved vegetables and cai po rice dumpling ($8.80), or snag some petite red bean paste ones with tangerine peel ($8.80 for five). Alternatively, return to classics such as the five-spice marinated pork one ($9.80). Or take it up a notch with the jumbo-sized HK-style abalone treat ($25.80).
Crystal Jade, order online or at participating outlets
2. Thye Moh Chan
Available until 22 June 2023
We’re looking to our favourite Teochew pastry shop – which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year – for a trio of rice dumplings ($6.80 each) made with old school recipes. The double delight is stuffed with pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, chestnuts and tau sar (made from mung beans) to give that delightful blend of sweet and savoury. Meanwhile, the salted egg one is a crowd favourite made with pandan-scented glutinous rice. Up for something new? Get the vegetarian version with dried radish, shiitake mushrooms, mock mutton, roasted chestnuts, and tau sar.
Perk alert: purchase six pieces and receive one complimentary rice dumpling, or get 10 pieces and enjoy two complimentary ones.
Thye Moh Chan, order at selected outlets at Thye Moh Chan, BreadTalk and Toast Box
3. Paradise Group
Available until 22 June 2023
Say hello to three new rice dumpling flavours this year: gula melaka red bean paste, roasted pork with dried shrimp and conpoy (it’s spicy!), and braised pork belly with mushroom. Each one’s full of top-notch ingredients and great flavour. Plus, reigning favourites make a comeback. We’re eyeing the salted pork belly brown rice version that’s stuffed with salted egg yolk, chestnut, lotus seed and mung bean. Other options include premium abalone, pork with conpoy and chestnut, and black truffle charred BBQ Iberico pork.
Looking for a gift set? At $68.80, Paradise Group’s creation features two of the new recipes alongside three classics.
Paradise Group, order online for self-collection at multiple locations including Taste Paradise, Beauty in the Pot and Paradise Dynasty
4. Joo Chiat Kim Choo
Available until 25 June 2023
This iconic store has been around for years, dishing out rice dumplings made from recipes passed down through generations, so you know you’re getting the absolute best. For Dragon Boat Festival, it’s launching gift sets in lovely packaging. The new Four Heavenly Kings set ($42.90) offers four rice dumplings inspired by traditional flavours of Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Hakka cuisines. Meanwhile, the Petite Treasures option (from $31.80), available in sweet and savoury picks, features smaller rice dumplings for a mid-afternoon bite. If you’re thinking luxe, get the Emperor’s Heirloom set ($168) to enjoy the goodies in a rose gold two-tiered box.
Joo Chiat Kim Choo, order online, at its Circuit Road flagship store, or pop-up stores including Takashimaya and Isetan Scotts with varying dates
5. Golden Peony
Available until 22 June 2023
Look to the Chinese restaurant in Conrad Centennial Singapore for five variations of rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival. All-time favourites include Hong Kong-style ($38) and black pepper chilli crab with prawn and scallops ($36). But don’t forget to check out the two new flavours for 2023: Hakka-style braised pork belly with preserved vegetables ($26) and five-grain plant-based meat ($22). End with a tinge of sweetness and enjoy bites of the green tea lotus paste and lotus seed paste creation ($16). Love ‘em all? Get the bundle ($138) and receive a bottle of house-made XO chilli sauce too.
Golden Peony, order online for delivery and takeaway
6. Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant
Available until 22 June 2023
So you’re a stickler for tradition? Get Li Bai’s signature traditional rice dumpling ($58) packed with pork belly, roast duck, Chinese mushroom, chestnut, salted egg, conpoy and dried shrimp. Or go for the popular abalone and pumpkin version ($58) to enjoy a savoury treat. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the two new creations. Kurobuta pork belly sits with cordyceps flower, sea cucumber, morel mushroom, salted egg yolk and chestnut enveloped in glutinous rice (from $55). And the mala wild mushroom version ($42) is a meat-free option full of mushroom varieties, bamboo shoots and chestnuts – each mouthful packs a punch!
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant, order online for delivery and self-collection
7. Goodwood Park Hotel
Available until 22 June 2023
Welcome the festivities with glutinous rice dumplings from the hotel’s Cantonese and Sichuan restaurant, Min Jiang. Its classic Hokkien-style dumpling ($14 for two) is stuffed with pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, chestnut, dried shrimp and salted egg yolk. If HK style is more up your alley, get the dumpling with roasted pork, roasted duck, dried scallops and house-made soya sauce ($26). For something unique, try the steamed ‘kee zhang’, mini plain rice dumplings that come with a decadent D24 durian dip ($12 for three)
Goodwood Park Hotel, order at the restaurant or online for dine-in, delivery and self-collection
8. Summer Palace
Available until 22 June 2023
The one Michelin-starred restaurant in Conrad Singapore Orchard spotlights four popular rice dumplings this season. The steamed abalone option ($78) is a treat chock full of abalone, kurobuta pork, roast duck, conpoy, and salted egg yolk. For more meaty goodness, order the kurobuta pork ($48) stuffed with shiitake mushroom, roast duck, chestnut, green beans and salted egg yolk. Morel mushrooms with five grains ($36) make up the healthy rice dumpling, while the sweet offering features lotus paste ($26).
Summer Palace, order online for delivery and takeaway
9. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
Available until 22 June 2023
Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival 2023 with the hotel’s goodies made by Jade’s executive chef. New to the line-up is the ginseng chicken rice dumpling ($22). It’s a sumptuous combination of kampong chicken, black chicken, black mushroom, Chinese ham, dried scallops and mung bean.
On the hunt for a healthier dumpling? Try the truffle version with king oyster mushroom, shiitake mushroom, arisaema tubes fungus, chestnut and plant-based meat ($16). Of course, you can’t miss out on the best-seller ($58). It features HK-style abalone with roasted duck, roasted pork belly, salted egg yolk and more. Gift givers can look to the Auspicious Greetings Hamper ($158) for one of each of the above, plus three locally-inspired flavours.
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, order online or at The Fullerton Cake Boutique for delivery and self-collection
10. Hai Tien Lo
Available until 25 June 2023
Hit up the Cantonese restaurant for Dragon Boat Festival treats this year. Grab the traditional jumbo rice dumpling with abalone ($40) to munch on pork belly, salted egg yolk, dried scallops, chestnuts, green beans, lotus seed, and whole abalone. It’s great for sharing with the fam. Other options include Szechuan mala chicken ($20) with black fungus and lotus root; Teochew dumpling with yam paste and gingko nut ($10); and black glutinous Nyonya dumpling ($17), a rendition inspired by pulut hitam with pork, candied melon, and Japanese mushrooms.
Hai Tien Lo, order online
11. Kuriya Japanese Market
Available until 30 June 2023
For a Japanese spin on the celebrations, look to Kuriya. Its fusion onigiri rice dumpling creations make a comeback with new flavours this year. Options (from $3.80) include chicken with candied winter melon, chestnut with mushrooms, and XO dried scallop with pork. So you’d like to try something new? Get the matcha chocolate with azuki beans and mochi, or pick out the abalone one with unagi and shiitake mushrooms.
Kuriya Japanese Market, order online or in-store at multiple locations including Chinatown Point and Great World
Find your fave rice dumplings in Singapore and stick to ’em!