Chang, also known as Zongzi (or simply zong). is a traditional Chinese food, made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. They are coked by steaming or boiling. In Japan, zong is called chimaki and in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, nom asom. In Indonesia and Malaysia, they are simply known as Chang.
There are many types of Chang, some are sweet, some are savoury, some filled with meat, others beans. There are also just plain Chang which is called Kee Chang.
Chang is traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calender (approximately late May to mid June). It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Known for his patriotism, Qu Yuan tried unsuccessfully to warn his king and countrymen against the expansionism of their Qin neighbours. When the Qin general Bai Qi took Yingdu, the Chu capital, in 278 BC, Qu Yuan's grief was so intense that he drowned himself in the Miluo river after penning the Lament for Ying. According to legend, packets of rice were thrown into the river to prevent the fish from eating the poet's body.
My favourite Chang is the Nonya Chang. It is my grandmother's favourite and every time she visited Singapore she would make sure she ate her favourite Katong Nonya Chang.
To remember her, I learnt to make one of her favourite dish.
See here a really cool video of how to make Nonya Chang. The song "Siow Bak Chang" is truly something else....an acquired taste....
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