Wuhua Loujiang Sweet Rice Cake

Wuhua Loujiang Sweet Rice Cake

　　The sweet rice cakes from Loujiang Village in Anliu Town, Wuhua, are tougher, sweeter, and thicker than those from other places, boasting distinctive charm and notable fame, earning praise from villages within a ten-mile radius.

　　According to an elder from Loujiang Village named Gu, the village has a long history of making sweet rice cakes, spanning nearly a century. It is a local custom to steam these cakes during festivals, weddings, birthdays, and other joyous occasions. There’s even a saying in Loujiang Village: “No sweet rice cake, no proper New Year celebration; no sweet rice cake, no proper gift.”

　　The method of making sweet rice cakes is quite particular and full of “know-how.” This author witnessed the process firsthand during this year’s Spring Festival at the home of Xu, a villager from Loujiang. First comes the preparation of ingredients: glutinous rice is soaked in water, then ground into powder, mixed with a small amount of sticky rice flour, and stirred evenly in a “molan” (a round bamboo container with edges). Next, around 10 jin (approximately 5 kg) of brown sugar is boiled with a small amount of water in a pot until it becomes syrup. The ideal consistency is tested by dipping a chopstick into the syrup and dropping it into a bowl of water—if the syrup solidifies without spreading, it’s ready. Then, the cooked syrup is poured into the glutinous rice flour in the “molan,” continuously stirred, and kneaded by hand for over half an hour. Only through this process does the sweet rice cake achieve its characteristic toughness and enhanced flavor. Afterward, the kneaded dough is spread onto a round wooden board, transferred into a large pot, covered with a lid, and slowly steamed over a wood fire for three to four hours, or even five. When the aroma of glutinous rice fills the air, and inserting a chopstick into the cake no longer brings out sticky batter, the sweet rice cake is fully cooked. The result is a golden-yellow, tough, and chewy sweet rice cake.

　　There are many ways to enjoy sweet rice cakes—you can cut them into small pieces and pan-fry them until golden brown, resulting in a crispy exterior and chewy interior, sweet and delicious with a unique flavor. Alternatively, you can steam small pieces until softened, or simply eat them cold. “Eating sweet rice cake is easy, but cutting it is hard,” says villager Xu. Whenever a whole steamed batch of sweet rice cake cools down, it becomes very hard and difficult to slice.