Zongzi

Soak the glutinous rice until the grains break easily. Hot water, not boiling, takes 40 minutes; cold water takes at least 5 hours or overnight. Under-soaked rice gums up on the outside and stays raw in the centre.

Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and marinate with soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and five spice powder for at least one hour.

Fill a big pot with water, bend the dry bamboo leaves in, weigh them down, bring to a boil over medium heat, then turn off the heat and leave them to soak.

Drain the soaked rice completely in a colander, tapping the base to shake out the excess water so it does not dilute the seasoning.

Saute the diced shallots and garlic in oil in a wok over medium-low heat until lightly golden.

Add the drained rice and stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes; this makes the rice slightly sticky and much easier to shape.

Season the rice with soy sauce and dark soy sauce, mix well and turn off the heat.

Wipe the moisture off the pliable bamboo leaves. The rough side with the obvious stem faces out; the smooth side touches the rice.

Stack two leaves partially, pointy tips facing each other, smooth side up, stems on each side, and fold from one third of the length into an ice cream cone, overlapping the corner so the rice cannot fall out. Short stem inside, long stem outside, the two tips sandwiched in the middle.

Fill the cone with rice, add two pieces of pork, then fill the rest with rice. Hold the shape with thumb and forefinger, fold the upper leaves down and wrap along the surface into a pyramid.

Tie with a couple of circles of kitchen twine. Tie the other end of the twine to something fixed, like a door handle, to act as a second hand.

Fill a big pot with water, drop in the zongzi, press them under with a plate so they are covered, bring to a boil and turn the heat to the lowest.

Simmer 2.5 hours.