🍽️ Laomagong Rice Dumpling

Sweet-savory double-filling zongzi near Shantou temple.

The Laomagong Rice Dumpling is a famous traditional snack near the Old Mazu Temple in Shantou, Guangdong, best known for its 'double filling.' Glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves holds both savory and sweet fillings in one dumpling: the savory half has braised pork, salted egg yolk, dried shrimp and shiitake, while the sweet half holds red-bean or lotus paste, the two clearly divided once cut open. The rice, soaked in master sauce and steamed with leaf aroma, is sticky and springy, the meaty half rich and the sweet half smooth, savory and sweet alternating in one bite. Shantou has a strong zongzi-eating tradition at Dragon Boat Festival, and this temple-front, hand-wrapped version is especially renowned. Eaten as a snack or light meal, it is a representative of Teochew-style zongzi.