Line Knife Rice Cake

Line Knife Rice Cake

　　Line Knife Rice Cake, also known as Water Cake, is a type of rice cake sliced using a thread as a knife, similar to how northern China makes knife-cut noodles. It is snow-white, smooth, fragrant, and delicious—both filling and thirst-quenching—and is a beloved traditional dish among the Hakka people. In the past, it could be found for sale in both urban alleys and rural shops. Whenever a new harvest came in, people would use freshly harvested rice to make Line Knife Rice Cake in celebration of the harvest.

　　The making of Line Knife Rice Cake is not complicated but requires great precision. First, take an appropriate amount of high-quality rice and rinse it thoroughly with clean water 2–3 times until the water runs clear. Drain the rice, then soak it in water (at a rice-to-water ratio of 1:2) for 2–3 hours. Next, grind the soaked rice with water into a rice paste using a stone mill (nowadays, machines are often used), and pour the paste into a large basin or other container.

　　Before grinding the rice paste, select a bundle of dry, clean rice straw and burn it into straw ash. Once the rice paste is ground, let it cool, then wrap the cooled straw ash in a clean cloth and place it on top of the rice paste (making sure the ash doesn’t spill and contaminate the paste). The ash absorbs excess moisture from the rice paste for about half an hour. After removing the ash packet, the rice paste becomes a tender and smooth rice dough.

　　Then, knead the rice dough until it’s elastic and press it into a tongue-like shape. Place it on the back of a smooth scoop, and tightly stretch a piece of ramie fiber between both hands to create a “thread knife.” Use this thread to evenly slice the rice dough from the scoop into a pot of boiling water. The snow-white rice noodles tumble in the milky-white soup like a school of loaches, creating waves. Once all the dough is sliced and the noodles are cooked, the Line Knife Rice Cake is ready to be served. No oil or other seasonings are needed—just a suitable amount of fine salt added just before removing it from the heat. The result is a bowl full of pure rice aroma, with an incredibly smooth and tender texture that leaves a lasting aftertaste.