Dragon Boat Festival 2020 in Singapore: Where to Order Rice Dumpling Takeaways

Dragon Boat Festival 2020 (Dumpling Festival) is on Thursday 25 June. Here’s where to order rice dumplings to celebrate in Singapore

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival (also called Dumpling Festival, Wan Qing Dumpling or Duanwu Festival) falls on Thursday 25 June 2020 (the fifth day of the fifth month the Chinese Lunar Calendar). The traditional Chinese food for the Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi — pyramid-shaped glutinous sticky rice dumplings with different fillings of pork, water chestnuts, mushrooms and other fillings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. Nyonya (Peranakan) dumplings are stuffed with braised pork, five spice powder and candied winter melon. ‘Kee zhang‘ has no filling and is eaten as a sweet, dipped ‘gula melaka (palm sugar).

Dragon Boat Festival History

The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister during the Zhou Dynasty Warring States period who was banished and accused of treason. He later drowned himself in the river when the Chu capital was captured by Qin. Legend has it that he couldn’t be saved by locals who tried to race out in boats to reach him in time. Fishermen beat their oars against the water to stop the man-eating fish in the river from devouring Qu Yuan’s body. Some say they threw cooked rice wrapped in leaves into the water, in the hope that the fish would eat them instead. This legend has resulted in the celebratory Dragon Boat Festival, with dragon boat races and the eating of dumplings wrapped in reed leaves.

Where to Celebrate Dragon Boat Festival in Singapore

In Singapore this year Wan Qing Dumpling Festival will be held online for the first time throughout the month of June via the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall’s Facebook page. Click here for the exciting line-up of family-friendly digital initiatives such as cooking classes, game contests, quizzes, interactive craft demonstrations and more.

So now you know a little about the Dragon Boat Festival history and how to celebrate  – let’s check out some of the rice dumpling takeaways in Singapore.

8 Rice Dumpling Takeaways and Gift Deliveries in Singapore 

Crystal Jade

Group Executive of Crystal Jade Group, Chef Martin Foo and his team have unveiled a quartet of tempting rice dumplings – with two new flavours. Alongside perennial favourite Classic Five-Spice Marinated Pork Rice Dumpling 五香咸肉粽 | ($7.80) look out for new vegetarian Eight Treasure Quinoa Rice Dumpling 八宝藜麦素粽 ($6.80) and Spicy Dried Shrimp “Hei Bi Hiam” Rice Dumpling香辣虾米酱粽 ($8.80 ). Grab them at the e-store till 22 June, or order through delivery platforms such as Deliveroo from now till 25 June.

Crystal Jade Group, various locations, Tel: (65) 6734 6866, www.crystaljade.com

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant

Celebrate this Dragon Boat Festival with an array of tasty rice dumpling creations, available from 11 to 25 June 2020 at Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant in the Singapore Marriott. New offerings to look out for include the premium Abalone & Conpoy Chicken Rice Dumpling ($25), and the wholesome Wild Mushroom 5-Grain Vegetarian Rice Dumpling ($14). Then there’s White Pepper Crab Rice Dumpling and classic Signature Pork & Salted Egg Rice Dumpling. Whether you prefer old-school favourites or look forward to the avant-garde rice dumpling creations with a modern twist, there’s something for everyone at Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant. Purchase a box of 4 handcrafted rice dumplings and enjoy 20% off

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, Level 3, Singapore Marriott, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865, Tel: (65) 6831 4605, singaporemarriott.com/dining

Paradise Group

Paradise Group has created a new, hearty rice dumpling, the Teochew Style Braised Specialties Dumpling ($12.90) full of braised goodness. The glutinous rice is embedded with a savoury medley of braised duck, pork belly, braised tau pok, braised peanut, dried shrimp, chestnut, lotus seed, salted egg yolk and mung bean. Other tasty fare includes the east-meets-west Black Truffle Five Grain Dumpling ($13.90) with a medley of black glutinous, five-grain and glutinous rice. The gourmet Premium Abalone Dumpling of a whole ten-head abalone is a tribute to Hong Kong-style pillow dumplings. Get the Paradise Dumplings Bundle ($52.90 instead of UP $55.60) to share with the family, which consists of Teochew Style Braised Specialties Dumpling, Premium Abalone Dumpling, Deluxe Pork Dumpling with Conpoy and Chestnut, and Red Bean Dumpling for dessert. Grab these from now till 19 June 2020.

Available for delivery via paradisegroup.oddle.me/en_SG, Deliveroo, Foodpanda and Grab Food.

Paradise Group, various locations, www.paradisegp.com

Resorts World Sentosa

Resorts World Sentosa has a five-piece Dumpling Feast ($98.00 nett per set) in its own three-tiered bamboo steamer. The gourmet set is a collaboration among five specialty dining concepts at RWS – Feng Shui Inn, Forest森, Tangerine, Syun and Malaysian Food Street. The set includes Sawara, Takenoko and Yuzu Chimaki Dumpling (日式鲭鱼竹笋粽) – by Syun with seasonal sawara, white-fleshed Spanish Mackerel wrapped in refreshing yuzu zest seasoned Japanese glutinous rice. Kampong Braised Sweet Gula Melaka Dumpling with Red, Purple and White Glutinous Rice (马六甲椰糖三色糯米粽) – by Malaysian Food Street sees ten different ingredients including purple glutinous rice and naturally sweetened with fragrant gula melaka and perfect as dessert. There’s also XO Sauce Pork Belly, Mushroom and Chestnut Bean Dumpling (极品酱五花肉香菇栗子豆粽) – by local celebrity chef Sam Leong of Forest森, and Khao Niew Nha Goong (泰式虎虾班兰粽) – by Tangerine and Wild Morel Mushroom with Abalone Dumpling (野生羊肚菌鲍鱼粽) – by Feng Shui Inn. The Dumpling Feast set is available for takeaway only and pre-order is required three days in advance. For more information, visit www.rwsentosa.com/dumplingfeast. Delivery via foodpanda is also available.

Resorts World Sentosa, Malaysian Food Street, Waterfront, Level 1, Resorts World Sentosa, Email: [email protected], Tel: (+65) 8140 7228, www.rwsentosa.com/en

Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

Shang Palace at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore has introduced new rice dumpling creations (fresh ready-to-eat as well as frozen!) to honour the tradition of the Dragon Boat Festival and convey blessings of health and enjoyment during these times. This year’s new flavours include a luxurious Black Truffle and French Organic Chicken with Buddha Jumps Over the Wall Rice Dumpling, as well as an innovative Sweetened Purple Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Custard. Not forgetting Shang Palace’s popular creations, the Shang Palace Signature Barbecued Pork Rice Dumpling with Yunnan Ham and Conpoy and Eight Treasures Rice Dumpling with Mixed Grain Rice and Organic Quinoa are also available this year. Looking to gift dumplings to someone? Try the Shang Palace Rice Dumpling Gift Set, which consists of four dumpling flavours and a canister of tea. Save 20% when they order through the link. For orders via  Grabfood, foodpanda, or Deliveroo only frozen dumplings will be delivered, subject to availability from now till 25 June 2020. Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore will also be offering island-wide delivery for both fresh and frozen dumplings for a flat fee of $20 per location from now to 25 June. Enjoy complimentary delivery with a minimum spend of $150.

Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350, email [email protected] or Tel: (+65) 6213 4398, www.bit.ly/slsdumplings2020

Xin Cuisine 

Xin Cuisine has newly launched Teochew-style Dried Shrimp and Red Bean Dumpling, for Dragon’s Boat festival. With a good balance between soft and chewy, the dumpling is stuffed with Teochew dried shrimp that yields a savoury kick, only mildly spiced so it remains child-friendly. For something sweet, check out Xin’s Red Lotus Seed Paste and Chestnut Dumpling Served with Osmanthus Sauce. Bursting with deep sweet flavour of red bean, this dumpling balances sugary with the addition of Osmanthus. There’s also the bestselling Homemade Traditional Dumplings steamed with five- spiced pork belly, salted egg yolk, mushroom and dried shrimp.

An early bird discount of 20% off applies for orders placed before 11 June 2020. A saving of 15% off applies for orders made from 12 June to 25 June, for collection by 26 June 2020. 1 day advance pre-order is required and orders can be made online via eShop – singaporeatrium.holidayinn.com/eshop.

Xin Cuisine, Holiday Inn 317 Outram Rd, Singapore169075, singaporeatrium.holidayinn.com/eshop.

Yàn

From now till 30 June, Yàn celebrates Dragon Boat Festival with a trio of Cantonese-style rice dumplings, including a special vegan-friendly dumpling the Preserved Vegetables with plantbased Heura Chicken Rice Dumpling ($10.80 nett). Grab the individual dumplings frozen or steamed (ready-to-eat), best enjoyed with loved ones, together or apart. Commemorate Dragon Boat Festival with Yàn’s selection of rice dumplings from a choice of Abalone and Fish Maw Rice Dumpling ($28.80 nett), Shrimp and Scallop in XO Sauce Rice Dumpling ($18.80 nett): packed with whole Australian scallops, wild-caught prawns, and succulent braised pork belly with a generous heap of Yàn’s signature housemade XO sauce. To indulge in #stayhome fun with loved ones, make your own rice dumpling – and priceless memories – with a Wrap-Your-Own-Dumpling Set at $78 nett. The selection offers double portions of the vegan dumpling for a lively hands-on activity, with each ingredient packed separately and fully cooked. In addition, the set presents 3 ready-to-eat pieces of the other two variants for nourishment after the merrymaking.

Yàn, 1 Saint Andrew’s Road #05-02 National Gallery, Singapore 178957, Tel: (+65) 6384 5585 or WhatsApp +65 9769 4283, www.yan.com.sg/estore