Rice Worm Cakes

Rice Worm Cakes

　　Rice worms are a rare, highly seasonal species in Zhongshan. Farmers in the Shenwan area of Zhongshan have a saying: “Once the season for rice worms is gone, you’ll never get them back.” They can only be harvested during two specific seasons each year—typically around the first and fifteenth days of the lunar calendar during the high tides in March–April and August–September.

　　In March, during the peak cucumber harvest, they’re called “cucumber worms,” and in April, during the lychee flowering and fruiting period, they’re known as “lychee worms.” These two types of rice worms are small in size and have a slightly fishy taste. By the time August and September come around according to the lunar calendar, the rice worms are respectively called “Autumn Equinox Worms” and “Flower Rice Worms.” During these two months, not only are the worms more abundant, but they are also plump and particularly delicious—considered the finest quality, and the most favored by locals in Zhongshan. Food connoisseurs refer to the autumn rice worms as the “true-season worms,” and the highest-grade ones are even poetically called “Golden Flower Worms.”

　　Rice worms are extremely ugly in appearance. In their juvenile stage, they look like red threads with clearly segmented bodies. As adults, they are slender and slightly flat, with protruding bristly parapodia on both sides of each segment. They are about one to two inches long, golden-yellow with hints of red and green, their bodies swollen with juice, moving slowly, resembling earthworms and looking quite frightening. Some say they look like earthworms, others like centipedes, and some even like leeches—but those with rural experience say they resemble maggots from countryside latrines. There’s also a local saying in Zhongshan: “Close your eyes and eat the rice worms.” In earlier times, only residents of river estuary areas such as Zhongshan, Doumen, and Xinhui dared to eat them. Rich in protein and vitamins, rice worms are a delicacy for families in the Pearl River Delta estuary regions. Those who know how to enjoy good food will want to savor them fresh within those short few days—otherwise, they’ll have to wait anxiously until the next year.

　　Famous Zhongshan rice worm dishes include “Stir-Fried Rice Worms,” “Rice Worms in Lotus Root Clay Pot,” and “Rice Worms with Hyacinth Beans in Clay Pot,” each with its own unique features and stories. However, the most traditional and authentic way to enjoy them is “Rice Worms Stewed in Earthen Bowl.” Fresh rice worms are rinsed clean, then placed in an earthen bowl along with ingredients like raw oil, eggs, and vermicelli. The mixture is seasoned with an appropriate amount of salt, MSG, dried tangerine peel, minced garlic, cilantro, preserved olives, sugar, and pepper, stirred together, and then steamed over boiling water. In the past, without advanced preservation techniques, large quantities of freshly harvested rice worms were all stewed at once and stored bowl by bowl. When it came time to eat, the bowls were placed back on the stove to roast for a while until white smoke rose from the rice worms inside. At that point, the whole space would be filled with the enticing, distinctive aroma of rice worms. Roasted until the surface turned golden and slightly crisp, yet the inside remained sweet, fragrant, and soft, these rice worm cakes became a signature local delicacy in Zhongshan. Nowadays, some high-end hotels also slice them into pieces and pan-fry them into “Pan-Seared Rice Worm Cakes.” This cooking method not only complements the flavor profile of the rice worms but also suits their strong seasonality, making them easier to preserve for longer periods and enjoy gradually.

　　Due to the unique flavor and regional exclusivity of rice worms, they often linger in the memories of those far from home. There’s a legend from the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty: He Wenyao, a native of Huangpu in Zhongshan, passed the imperial examination and was appointed to a post in Sichuan. Being very fond of rice worms, and facing the prospect of leaving his hometown where he could no longer cook and enjoy this delicacy, he had the rice worms blanched and then sun-dried to make “rice worm cakes,” which he brought to Sichuan. After taking up his post, he used valuable gifts like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw from his hometown to present to his superiors. Unexpectedly, one day his superior saw him enjoying the rice worm cakes alone and immediately assumed he was being disrespectful by keeping the good things to himself. The superior questioned him, “Why don’t you offer me your ‘golden dragonlings’?” From then on, people in the Huangpu area began referring to rice worms as “golden dragonlings.” Later, rice worm cakes became a year-round delicacy for the people of Zhongshan, and among them, winter rice worm cake clay pot rice is an absolute standout.