Winter Solstice (Dongzhi)
At Winter Solstice, food traditionally eaten is warm, gentle, and filling, with an emphasis on hearty home-cooked hot dishes.
Script
Hello, and welcome to Winter Solstice, or Dongzhi. The classic meaning says this is the midpoint term of the eleventh lunar month, when the force of gathering in and storing away reaches its peak. In everyday seasonal tradition, people often choose warm, gentle, and filling foods. Chinese cabbage is in season in winter, and it is often used in dumpling fillings. Pork is a common home-style ingredient that makes winter fillings richer. Yellow chives bring a fresh savory note to the table. A festive dish is Chinese cabbage and pork dumplings, a hearty home-cooked hot dish for the season. Go easy on overly chilled or raw food, and don’t make the meal too greasy or too heavy. If you’d like to cook along, use the Winter Solstice Reunion Ingredient Set.
On the table this season
- Chinese cabbagecool
In season in winter, naturally sweet and juicy, and traditionally eaten in dumpling fillings
- Porkneutral
A common home-style ingredient that makes winter fillings richer and more satisfying
- Yellow chiveswarm
Mildly fragrant and suits the season by adding a fresh savory note to the table
- Glutinous rice flour for tangyuanwarm
A seasonal staple traditionally eaten for reunion-style festive sweets
- Lambwarm
Traditionally eaten in winter and suits slow-cooked hot dishes
Cook it
Chinese Cabbage and Pork Dumplings
Ingredients: Chinese cabbage, Pork, Yellow chives, Dumpling wrappers, Ginger, Scallions, Salt, Light soy sauce, Sesame oil
- Finely chop the Chinese cabbage and gently squeeze out some moisture. Finely chop the yellow chives, and mince the pork into a filling.
- Place the pork, Chinese cabbage, and yellow chives in a bowl. Add minced ginger, chopped scallions, light soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil, then mix well.
- Place filling into the dumpling wrappers, seal the edges tightly, and arrange the dumplings neatly.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the dumplings, and stir gently. When they float, cook a little longer until done.
Brown Sugar Tangyuan
Ingredients: Glutinous rice flour for tangyuan, Brown sugar, Warm water, Toasted black sesame, Lard
- Add warm water to the glutinous rice flour and knead into a smooth dough. Let it rest briefly.
- Mix the black sesame with brown sugar and a little lard to make the filling.
- Take small pieces of dough, flatten them, wrap in the filling, and roll into balls.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tangyuan, and cook until they float. Serve in brown sugar syrup.
Go easy on
- Eat less overly chilled or raw food; meals are best served warm.
- Avoid making a meal too greasy or overly heavy; a balance of meat and vegetables fits the season better.
- Festive sweets are traditional for the occasion, but it is still best not to eat too much or too late.
Classical source
冬至，十一月中。終藏之氣至此而極也。Yueling Qishier Hou Jijie (Wu Cheng, Yuan dynasty)
Winter Solstice is the midpoint term of the eleventh lunar month: the force of gathering in and storing away reaches its peak.
Original text on Wikisource · Diet text drafted with AI and pending expert review.