Mambow in Clapton to serve Hokkien zongzi for Dragon Boat Festival

Mambow, the modern Malaysian restaurant run by chef Abby Lee in Clapton, east London, will serve limited quantities of regional zongzi from 17^th to 20^th June to mark the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on 19^th June 2026. Zongzi are Chinese sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, traditionally eaten during the festival, which is held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Drawing on Lee’s Chinese-Malay heritage, the restaurant will serve a Hokkien, or southern, version of the dish. It is filled with pork belly, salted egg yolk, chestnuts and shiitake mushrooms, with the glutinous rice marinated in oyster sauce, soy, five spice and garlic. A limited number will be available each day, until stocks run out.

The Dragon Boat Festival dates back more than 2,300 years. It originally commemorated the death of the poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River in protest at political corruption. In China, the day is marked with boat races and the throwing of rice packets wrapped in leaves into the river, traditions that gave rise to present-day dragon boat racing and the eating of zongzi.

Zongzi vary considerably across China and among Chinese communities elsewhere, with regional differences in fillings, shape and preparation. Southern versions, such as the Hokkien style being offered at Mambow, tend to feature savoury fillings, while sweeter variations are common in other parts of the country. The dumplings are typically steamed or boiled while still wrapped in their bamboo leaves, which impart a distinctive aroma to the rice.

Mambow focuses on Malaysian cooking and has built its menu around Lee’s background and heritage. The seasonal zongzi offering forms part of a wider tradition among restaurants serving Chinese and South East Asian cuisine of marking the festival with food that reflects its history and cultural significance.

The festival’s combination of remembrance and celebration has helped sustain its customs over centuries, with the preparation and sharing of zongzi remaining a central element of how it is observed both in China and among diaspora communities.

Food Desk

For further information and reservations, visit Mambow’s website here.