Rinse the rice until the water runs clear then soak it in water for 3 hours; drain and divide it into 10 portions. Wash the bamboo leaves and strings then boil them for 5 minutes; remove and drain.

Filling: Cut the pork and mushrooms into 20 pieces each; marinade them with 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sliced, fried shallots, 1/2 Tbsp cooking wine, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cut each salty egg in half.

Heat the pan then add 4 Tbsp oil; stir-fry the dried shrimp until fragrant. Add the rice and 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 t pepper; stir until mixed well.

Lengthwise, overlap 2 leaves together then bend them to form a conical shape (To use as a wrapper), one end should be longer than the other. Put 1/2 portion of the rice and one piece each of the following in the conical shaped leaves: pork, black mushrooms, and salty egg. Cover ingredients with the other half of the rice. Wrap the leaves and tie them with a string. Place the finished "jungdz" in a pot then add water to cover. Bring the water to a boil; turn the heat to low and cook the "jungdz" covered for 1 hour or until the rice is cooked; remove and serve.

The filling may be changed according to individual preference.

Gloria C. Martinez, Wei-Chuan's Cooking: Taipei, Taiwan, 1985, p. 75.

D Choi <Namosi@U.Washington.Edu>