Whether you prefer to call them rice dumplings, zongzi, or bak chang, there’s no denying that the culinary star of the historic Dragon Boat Festival delivers heartwarming conviviality in a convenient, intricately wrapped parcel brimming with luxe ingredients.
These leaf-wrapped pyramids convey a contemporary message of prosperity and togetherness in the best way possible — with savory salted egg yolks, beans, nuts, braised meats, and choice seafood, lovingly pillowed with glutinous rice, and then steamed or boiled until the flavors have melded into a whole more delicious than the sum of its parts.
So delicious, they were said to lure hungry fish away from the drowned body of a beloved court official. According to legend, poet Qu Yuan drowned himself over 2,000 years ago in protest, prompting villagers to toss rice dumplings into the river to protect him. The tragic tale eventually inspired the Dragon Boat Festival, now marked by races and dumpling feasts with loved ones to invite good fortune.
Traditional flavors in the rice dumplings, too, have evolved with time, largely thanks to the efforts of chefs in the hotels and restaurants across the Mandarin-speaking world — read on for six MICHELIN Guide spots to find the best rice dumplings in Singapore ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival on 31 May 2025.
Summer Palace
One MICHELIN StarMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
Color, aroma, and taste — these are the three pillars underpinning one-MICHELIN-starred Summer Palace’s approach to Cantonese cuisine and its selection of handcrafted rice dumplings.
New this season is the Kurobuta and Preserved Mustard Greens Dumpling (S$35), a happy marriage of Hakka and Teochew gastronomic flairs as expressed by unctuous braised pork belly cut with the earthy intensity of aged mustard greens. A more-familiar favorite in the Signature Kurobuta Rice Dumpling (S$57) is also available, of course, for diners who prefer their dumplings with a comfortingly recognizable core of braised Kurobuta pork, roast duck, shiitake mushrooms, dried scallops, chestnuts, salted egg yolk, and green beans. In any case, the restaurant will also be offering a novel take with a sweet rice dumpling lovingly stuffed with durian and uplifted with lashings of floral-scented osmanthus honey ($35) — the perfect coda for a festival centered around friends and family.
The Summer Palace rice dumplings are available to purchase online here from 18 till 31 May 2025. Orders can be placed via phone at +65 6725 3288. Summer Palace is located at Conrad Orchard, Level 3, 1 Cuscaden Road, 249715, Singapore.
Summer Pavilion
One MICHELIN StarMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
For Dragon Boat Festival 2025, one-MICHELIN-starred Cantonese restaurant Summer Pavilion has committed to sticking with the classics, offering a traditional Hong Kong-style rice dumpling positively loaded with goodies like roast duck, roast pork, dried scallops, dried shrimp, salted egg yolk, mushrooms, lotus seeds, chestnuts, and green beans.
Each piece clocks in at a hefty 600g (S$35++), and is available for walk-ins subject to availability — though you can also order it in advance with two days’ notice minimum.
The Summer Pavilion rice dumpling is available to purchase from 17 till 31 May 2025. Orders can be placed via phone at +65 6434 5286 or email at rc.sinrz.summerpavilion@ritzcarlton.com. Summer Pavilion is located at The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Level 3, 7 Raffles Avenue, 039799, Singapore.
Min Jiang at Dempsey
SelectedMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
A bounty of new rice dumplings awaits at MICHELIN Selected Min Jiang at Dempsey this Dragon Boat Festival 2025. There’s a surf-and-turf combo of dried oysters, pork belly, chestnuts, Chinese mushrooms, yam, and salted egg yolk enshrouded in premium glutinous rice (S$32 for two pieces), as well as an homage to the fusion interplay of Cantonese and Sichuanese flavors characteristic of Min Jiang’s cuisine with a stuffing of tender pork belly, dried shrimp, salted egg yolk, mushrooms, and chestnuts (S$22 for two pieces).
Of course, you can also enjoy returning staples like the restaurant’s crowd-favorite Mini "Kee Zhang" with D24 Durian Dip (S$33 for five pieces), balancing the alkalinity of the bite-sized yellow-hued rice dumplings with a pongy hit of the king of fruits. Spoilt for choice? Get all three with a festive rice dumpling set for gifting or solo indulgence (we won’t tell).
The Min Jiang at Dempsey rice dumplings are available to purchase online here from 16 till 31 May 2025. Orders can be placed via phone at +65 6774 0122 or email at mjdempsey@goodwoodparkhotel.com. Min Jiang at Dempsey is located at 7A & 7B Dempsey Road, 249684, Singapore.
Shang Palace
SelectedMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
MICHELIN Selected Shang Palace rings in the good fortune of Dragon Boat Festival 2025 with a bountiful array of rice dumplings both traditional and decidedly novel. New on the menu this year is a homely reinterpretation of Executive Chinese Chef Daniel Cheung’s childhood memories of red fermented bean curd pork belly, now starring as the umami-rich, savory-funky lynchpin of a hearty rice dumpling alongside mung beans, peanuts and black-eyed peas (S$29.90, 500g).
On the other hand, if a sweet treat with a knack for dramatic flair is what’s demanded, look to Shang Palace’s Sweetened Purple Rice Dumpling with Homemade Kaya (S$19.90, 280g) — there, the local coconut jam is encased in a pillowy mochi shell within black glutinous rice, resulting in a theatrical, pyroclastic flow of molten kaya when the dumpling is sliced open. Other returning favorites include the much-loved Shang Palace Signature Barbecued Pork Rice Dumpling with Yunnan Ham and Conpoy, Truffle Pork Belly with Salted Egg Yolk Rice Dumpling, and more, available either à la carte or as part of a magnificent gift set.
The Shang Palace rice dumplings are available to purchase online here from now till 31 May 2025. Orders can also be placed via phone at +65 6213 4511 or email to festive.sls@shangri-la.com. Shang Palace is located at the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, Lobby Level, 22 Orange Grove Road, 258350, Singapore.
Wah Lok
SelectedMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2025
For Dragon Boat Festival 2025, MICHELIN Selected restaurant Wah Lok unveils an artisanal masterpiece centered around the rich, deeply savory flavors characteristic of Cantonese cooking. Working your way through the heaving 600g parcel, you’ll first encounter headliners like smoked duck, dried oyster and premium Japanese conpoy, before ending on a textural note with crunchy chestnuts and lotus seeds. Well-balanced, stomach-warming and indulgent in all the right ways.
The Wah Lok rice dumpling is available to purchase online here from now till 31 May 2025. Orders can also be placed via phone at +65 6311 8188 or wah.lok@carltonhotel.sg. Wah Lok is located at Carlton Hotel, Level 2, 76 Bras Basah Road, 189558, Singapore.
Yì By Jereme Leung
SelectedMICHELIN Guide Singapore 2024
From its home in historic Raffles Hotel Singapore, MICHELIN-Selected Yì By Jereme Leung shines the spotlight on Southeast Asian ingredients this Dragon Boat Festival 2025 with a sweet and savory couplet of new rice dumpling flavors. For starters, there’s a play on Fujian influences around the region with the Hokkien-accented Braised Pork Belly & Yam Glutinous Rice Dumpling (S$22+), featuring a tradition-steeped pairing of tender braised pork belly and creamy yam.
Keeping in line with the theme of tradition-meets-modernity is the restaurant’s next newcomer — classic, yellow-tinged alkaline rice dumplings, uplifted with a nod to heritage by way of fresh lemongrass’s citrusy zing and with a signature complement of Raffles Hotel Singapore’s kaya jam (S$28+ for five pieces).
Both dumplings are available with a returning Yì By Jereme Leung classic in the Steamed Abalone & Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Salted Egg Yolk (S$49+) — a luxurious mound studded with 12-head abalone, salted egg yolk, Sakura shrimp, Jinhua ham, mung bean, white lotus seed, dried scallops, and chestnut — as part of an all-in festive gifting set, available for delivery or collection from 12 May all through to the big day itself.
The Yì By Jereme Leung rice dumplings are available to purchase online here from 12 till 31 May 2025. Orders can also be placed via phone at +65 6412 1816 or email to rafflesgrabandgo@raffles.com. Yì By Jereme Leung is located at Raffles Arcade, #03-02, 328 North Bridge Road, 188719, Singapore.
