Don’t be afraid of getting fat from eating Zongzi! 2 low-calorie konjac dumplings creative DIY

It’s the Dragon Boat Festival again, the time for eating rice dumplings. What flavor of rice dumplings do you plan to eat this year? The calories in a traditional salty rice dumpling sold in the market exceed 500 kcal, and even the alkaline rice dumpling without fillings has 150 kcal. If you don’t want to gain weight, in addition to controlling the amount you eat, nutritionists recommend using konjac rice to make your own low-calorie, high-fiber creative konjac rice dumpling at home!

Nutritionist Lin Yujie said that the salty rice dumplings available in the market contain rich fillings and solid glutinous rice, and the average calorie content of each dumpling is over 500 calories. (Photo courtesy of Taipei City Health Bureau)

Lin Yujie, a nutritionist at Taipei City United Hospital, said that commercially available salty rice dumplings contain rich fillings and solid glutinous rice, with an average of more than 500 calories per dumpling. If you add dipping sauce, peanut powder, etc., and eat them one after another, your weight will easily get out of control if you are not careful.

High-fiber konjac mixed with glutinous rice has less calorie burden

How can we enjoy eating rice dumplings without worrying about obesity? Nutritionist Lin Yujie recommends that konjac rice be mixed with glutinous rice in a 1:1 ratio and cooked to make the outer skin, as it has lower calories than traditional glutinous rice and is rich in dietary fiber. In addition, adopt the southern method of making rice dumplings to reduce fat intake.

What are the differences between the preparation of northern and southern zongzi? The glutinous rice in northern zongzi is first sautéed with oil and mixed with fillings before being wrapped in zong leaves and steamed in a steamer; in traditional southern zongzi, raw glutinous rice without adding sauce and the fried fillings are placed in zong leaves, and the whole bunch is cooked in boiling water until cooked through. In general, southern rice dumplings are relatively low in calories and have a lighter taste.

Creative five-element konjac salty rice dumpling. (Photo courtesy of Taipei City Health Bureau)

Let's make rice dumplings together~Recipe for low-calorie konjac rice dumplings revealed

In this regard, nutritionist Lin Yujie also shared the method of making "Five Elements Konjac Creative Salty Zongzi". In addition to white glutinous rice, bamboo charcoal powder, red yeast rice powder, turmeric powder and matcha powder are added to the outer skin, making it very colorful. What’s even more special is that the creative konjac rice dumpling has an average of only 194 calories per piece, which is at least less than the calorie content of a bowl of rice (280 calories) compared to the more than 500 calories of commercially available salty rice dumplings, making it less burdensome to eat.

★Five Elements Konjac Creative Salty Rice Dumpling★ (6 servings)

Material:

1. Skin: 150g glutinous rice, 150g konjac rice, 1 tsp bamboo charcoal powder (about 3g), 1 tsp red yeast rice powder (about 3g), 1 tsp turmeric powder (about 3g) and 1 tsp matcha powder (about 3g).

2. Filling: 150g shredded lean meat from the hind leg, 50g shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water), 30g chestnuts, 25g lotus seeds, 10g dried shrimps, 10g boiled peanuts, 5g fried shallots, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soybean salad oil.

3. Sauce: 2 tsp soy sauce.

4. Zongzi rope and zongzi leaves.

practice:

1. Wash both sides of the rice dumplings leaves, wash and weigh the ingredients, and set aside.

2. Steam chestnuts and lotus seeds in a rice cooker for about 20 minutes until cooked.

3. Wash and mix glutinous rice and konjac rice, then divide into 6 equal parts. Add bamboo charcoal powder, red yeast rice powder, turmeric powder or matcha powder (no need to add extra for white) according to your preference. Dye and drain for later use.

4. Add soybean salad oil, fried shallots and dried shrimps into the pan and stir-fry until fragrant. Add shredded lean pork, mushrooms, chestnuts, lotus seeds and boiled peanuts and stir-fry together. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, mix well and stir-fry until fragrant.

5. Take about 60 grams of mixed glutinous rice and put it into the rice dumplings leaves. After wrapping the fillings, add a little more glutinous rice. Wrap it with the normal rice dumpling method and boil it in water for about 50 minutes.

Nutritional analysis: Each serving contains approximately 194 calories, 35.6 grams of carbohydrates, 4.9 grams of fat, 9.75 grams of protein, and 2.6 grams of dietary fiber.

In addition to eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, you should also increase your exercise hours appropriately so that you can eat happily and healthily.

Are alkaline rice dumplings low in calories? Be careful of fillings and syrups, they are masters of blaming others

In addition to salty rice dumplings, sweet rice dumplings are also a favorite flavor of many people. Whether it is the alkaline rice dumpling filled with red bean paste, or the other kind of eight-treasure sweet rice dumpling, they all have a sweet taste and are very delicious. However, nutritionist Lin Yujie said that the calories of unfilled alkaline rice dumplings are about 150 calories, and after adding sweet fillings, the calories range from about 250 to 350 calories. If syrup or powdered sugar is added, the calories will increase by another 100 calories, which is not to be underestimated. When you encounter this situation, you might as well use konjac rice! The following is a method for making low-calorie sweet rice dumplings using konjac rice.

★A mouthful of sweet high-fiber rice dumplings★ (4 servings)

Material:

1. Skin: 80g glutinous rice, 80g konjac rice.

2. Filling: 30 grams of red beans, 2 teaspoons of caster sugar.

3. Zongzi rope and zongzi leaves.

practice:

1. Wash both sides of the rice dumplings leaves, cut into 2 small pieces and set aside.

2. Wash the red beans, soak them in water for 60 minutes, add half a cup of water to the inner pot of the rice cooker and 1 cup of water to the outer pot, and steam them. Wash glutinous rice and konjac rice, mix them and set aside.

3. Add granulated sugar to the steamed red beans, mix well, and divide into 4 equal parts. Take about 30 grams of mixed glutinous rice and put it into the rice dumplings leaves. After wrapping the red bean filling, add a little glutinous rice. Wrap it with the normal rice dumpling method and cook in water for about 50 minutes.

Nutritional analysis: Each serving contains approximately 110.5 calories, 23.7 grams of carbohydrates, 0.3 grams of fat, 3.22 grams of protein, and 2.35 grams of dietary fiber.

【Health Tips】:

Zongzi is both suitable for the occasion and delicious, but you still need to be careful to eat it in moderation. Try to reduce or directly avoid dipping it with sweet and spicy sauce, soy sauce, syrup, or powdered sugar so that you can taste the natural characteristics and aroma of the ingredients. In addition, you can eat happily and healthily by eating with fruits and vegetables and increasing your exercise hours appropriately, such as slightly increasing your exercise by 10 to 30 minutes a day.