Guangzong Glutinous Bean Buns

Guangzong Glutinous Bean Buns

　　The bean buns are sticky, especially the New Year ones. Glutinous bean buns are a very popular local specialty in my hometown. They have a round shape, golden color, and when you take a bite, they are fragrant, sweet, soft, and sticky, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste. The more you eat, the more flavorful, sweeter, and delicious they become. They also have high nutritional value. In the past, people could only afford to eat glutinous bean buns during the New Year. Nowadays, with improved living conditions, because so many people love them, glutinous bean buns have not only become an indispensable delicacy in daily life but also a must-have gift when visiting relatives and friends.

　　According to interviews, the glutinous bean buns from Guangzong are different from those in other places—their “stickiness” is legendary. The dough is made from yellow millet flour, and yellow millet is also called broomcorn millet. Guangzong County features a hundred-mile sandy belt with soft soil, producing broomcorn millet that not only has a great taste but is also exceptionally sticky. This kind of flour is essential for making glutinous bean buns, resulting in an especially fragrant taste. The filling is made from locally abundant purple jujubes and red beans, which are cooked and then mashed into a paste. Jujubes are rich in sugar, vitamins, and protein, and are known to nourish blood, calm the nerves, strengthen the spleen, and harmonize the stomach. Red beans also help clear the heart, nourish the spirit, strengthen the spleen, and benefit the kidneys. Both are excellent health foods. Therefore, Guangzong glutinous bean buns are not just a distinctive flavor food but also a highly nutritious delicacy.

　　The method for making glutinous bean buns is as follows: wrap the sticky dough and bean paste into round, steamed bun-shaped buns. Though it sounds simple, the production process is intricate and laborious. First, select high-quality broomcorn millet and grind it into flour. Then mix the flour with cold water (hot water will make it too sticky to knead). Once the dough is ready, shape it into a dome-like form and steam it. After the water boils, steam for another 40 minutes. What comes out of the pot is commonly called "sticky dumpling." While still hot, add a small amount of white flour and knead it thoroughly until the dough becomes soft yet elastic. Then let it ferment. Once the dough has risen, it’s ready to be filled with the previously prepared bean paste. The finished glutinous bean buns must then be rolled in a layer of white flour on the outside (otherwise, they’ll definitely stick and be impossible to remove from the pot), and then steamed again before they’re ready to eat.

　　The glutinous bean buns from Guangzong are “sticky,” with sweetness within the stickiness, fragrance within the sweetness—deliciously sweet and thoughtfully flavorful. This is a specialty of my hometown, and it’s my personal favorite too！

　　(Li Zhong, Zhang Xinsuai)