Hakka Mugwort Rice Cakes

Hakka Mugwort Rice Cakes

　　Hakka Mugwort Rice Cakes

　　In March during the Qingming Festival, wild mugwort is particularly tender at this time, so the Hakka people pick it to make rice cakes. After Qingming, it’s time to start transplanting rice seedlings, hence the saying: “After eating wild mugwort rice cakes, your shoulders will be sore from work.”

　　During Qingming, some small shops also serve a dish called “Wild Mugwort Scrambled Eggs.” Wild mugwort has cooling and nourishing effects.

　　When spring arrives and mugwort fragrance fills the air, people go picking mugwort leaves to make rice cakes. This is a long-standing tradition of the Hakka people in Wengyuan, and also a gift from spring. The fragrant and unique taste of mugwort rice cakes showcases the ingenuity of the Hakka. The richly aromatic mugwort blends with sweet glutinous rice, and these vibrant green dumplings are full of the essence of spring. With one bite, you’ll enjoy their soft, sweet, and sticky texture—it’s a famous Hakka delicacy.

　　 Mugwort is a type of wild vegetable that typically grows along the edges of vegetable gardens or in idle fields. It’s a natural green food. Every spring, especially after a few rounds of rain, clumps of mugwort sprout up rapidly like bamboo shoots after a shower. When picking mugwort leaves, choose the very top, most tender parts—the resulting rice cakes will have the most fragrant and intense flavor. The harvested mugwort should be sorted again, keeping only the tender leaves and stems. Wash them several times with clean water; be gentle during washing to avoid wringing out the mugwort juice. Once the dirt is washed off, they can be put into a pot to boil. The mugwort leaves need to be boiled until very soft before they can be used to make the dough. Usually, boiling for about twenty minutes is enough before they are drained and set aside. Place the boiled mugwort leaves together with glutinous rice in a basin, then add an appropriate amount of cooking oil and brown sugar, and continuously knead the mixture until the mugwort and glutinous rice flour are fully combined into a soft and uniform dough. The filling for mugwort rice cakes can be either sweet or savory, varying by region. For sweet fillings, peanuts, sesame seeds, and white sugar are crushed and mixed together. For those who prefer savory flavors, a filling made of vegetables and pork can also be used—according to personal taste. Wrapping mugwort rice cakes is somewhat similar to making dumplings, but the dough here is unique because of the added natural mugwort, giving the entire dough a thicker and coarser texture. The dough must be carefully hand-rolled into thin wrappers. The wrappers should be as thin and large as possible, wrapped with plenty of flavorful filling, creating round and generously stuffed rice cakes that are both pleasing to the eye and satisfying. However, be careful not to roll the wrappers too thin, or the filling may burst out during steaming. A properly made mugwort rice cake should look smooth and flawless, with no visible seams. Steaming mugwort rice cakes is also an art. In the countryside, traditional big pots and firewood are used—the steam-infused aroma is uniquely fragrant, something modern kitchenware cannot replicate. Once the water boils, you can begin steaming the cakes, usually for about 15–20 minutes. The originally light green dumplings turn deep green. Freshly steamed mugwort rice cakes are soft, sweet, sticky, and slightly chewy. The faint fragrance of mugwort becomes rich and intense. Take a bite and the flavor lingers on the palate. According to villagers from Ximao Ridge Village in Jiangwei Town, Wengyuan, eating mugwort rice cakes is a longstanding custom in their village. Mugwort is believed to warm and strengthen the stomach, and its fragrance is delightful. The belief that eating mugwort rice cakes warms the body has been passed down through generations. Not only are they delicious, but mugwort rice cakes also offer medicinal benefits.