Having a sense of ritual is important during holidays, and zongzi is widely recognized for its high calorie content. Mr. Panda loves to eat zongzi, so I decided to add low-calorie and fiber-rich konjac powder to the fruit tea recipe. It gives the zongzi a chewy texture and satisfies his cravings. Mr. Panda almost fell for this high-quality imitation of traditional zongzi, thinking that I had kindly made sticky rice zongzi. Of course, it was not intentional.
Using fruit tea as the base, cold-brewed tea is gentler on the stomach and doesn’t affect sleep. It brings out the sweetness of the tea leaves. I added sautéed sugar pineapple and green apple, which don’t release too much liquid. The tea base has a rich flavor, and after soaking, the chia seeds resemble rice grains. Mr. Panda said it made his digestion particularly smooth afterwards (chuckles)～
【Fruit Tea Zongzi】Ingredients
◤Red Tea Jelly Liquid
Darjeeling black tea leaves – 2 tablespoons (you can use your preferred tea leaves)
Drinking water at room temperature – 500 ml
Kojac Jelly – 25 g
White Montfruit sweetener – 3 tablespoons
Chia seeds – 1 tablespoon
◤Orange Juice Jelly Liquid
Kojac Jelly – 25 g
Freshly squeezed orange juice with pulp – 250 ml
Passion fruit – 1
Drinking water – 250 ml
White Montfruit sweetener – 3 tablespoons
◤Fruits
Pink dragon fruit – half
Diced mango (choose firmer flesh, such as Thai watermelon mango or Kent mango) – half
White Montfruit sweetener – 40 g
Pineapple – 150 g
Green apple – 70 g
Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon
◤Mold
Food-grade clear plastic bags (18×12 cm) – 4
◤Instructions
❶ Cut pineapple, green apple, mango, and dragon fruit into 1×1 cm cubes.
❷ Add lemon juice and Montfruit sweetener to pineapple and green apple. Heat over low heat until no moisture remains. Let it cool.
❸ Add cold water to red tea and refrigerate for 12 hours. Strain the tea leaves.
❹ Prepare two measuring cups and heat them in a water bath.
❺ For the red tea portion: Mix konjac powder with sugar and chia seeds. Add red tea and stir well.
❻ For the orange juice portion: Mix konjac powder with sugar, orange juice, orange pulp, and passion fruit. Add drinking water and stir well.
❼ After konjac powder absorbs the liquid, stir until completely dissolved. The liquid will become thick, and there will be resistance when stirring. Avoid over-stirring to prevent the jelly from solidifying. Continue heating the unused jelly liquid in a water bath.
❽ Place dragon fruit cubes, pineapple and green apple mixture, and mango cubes in separate bags. Try to keep the dragon fruit in the corner to achieve a beautiful red color.
❾ The jelly liquid should feel slightly warm but not scalding to the touch before pouring it into the bags. Do not exceed or go below 60°C when filling the bags. Konjac jelly solidifies quickly when cooled, making it difficult to fill the bags.
❿ Start by pouring 125 ml of orange juice jelly liquid, allowing all the fruit cubes to come into contact with the orange juice konjac. Then pour in 125 ml of red tea jelly liquid.
⓫ Fold the opening of the bag inward, shaping it into a zongzi shape. Use adhesive tape to seal the folded opening. Hang the bag at room temperature using a clothespin for about 30 minutes until it solidifies. After that, it can be refrigerated in the refrigerator to enhance the festive ritual feeling, tying it with a string.
⓬ Open the bags and enjoy. Fruit zongzi tends to release liquid, so it is best to consume them within 2 days after making them.