Joong from 99 Ranch

3 for $7.20 at 99 Ranch

Making joong (the Cantonese word for various meats enclosed in sticky rice wrapped in ti leaves, then steamed, aka zongzi in Mandarin) is a time-consuming endeavor. Ingredients such as ti leaves, ham dan (duck eggs), and lup cheong (preserved sausage) are not found in your average American supermarket and, depending on where one lives, may require a special shopping trip to the nearest Chinatown. Even if one lives close to Asian grocery markets, certain ingredients such as the rice and belly pork require over an hour of preparation. It's usually not worth the trouble to cook up a batch from scratch.

When I feel a craving for a plateful of calories, fat, and sodium I head over to 99 Ranch to pick up a package of joong. The Foster City market carries three varieties, Cantonese, Hu Zhou, and Pork with Mushroom, each of which cost the same--three for $7.20.

It wasn't hard to obtain volunteers for a taste test. Consensus conclusions: 1) despite its pale appearance implying minimal soy sauce the "Cantonese tamale" was flavorful, aided by the piece of lup cheong; 2) the Hu Zhou-style joong consisted of just belly pork and rice (which were in the others as well) but had the most bulk; 3)the pork with mushroom version also had egg and peanuts. Group rankings were (1) Cantonese (2) Pork with mushroom (3) Hu Zhou.

L to R: Cantonese tamale, Hu Zhou, Pork with Mushroom

The visitor from Hawaii said that she preferred the 99 Ranch joong to the ones available in Honolulu markets, so she will return with a bag. On my next trip to the Islands, I'll tell her about cousin Rebekah. © 2011 Stephen Yuen

Rebekah's finished product.