Sticky Rice Cakes or Glutinous Cake

Sticky Rice Cakes of Longhu

　　On the weekend, I saw a relative’s family in Longhu Township busy making glutinous cakes. Helpful neighbors came over to lend a hand, creating a cheerful and festive atmosphere in the house. While chatting and laughing, the helpers shaped the sticky rice dough in their palms and exchanged casual conversations about their children's marriages. Unaware of the world’s complexities, the kids ran around inside and outside the house, munching on the cakes, bringing endless liveliness and energy to the small courtyard.

　　According to the hostess, these cakes are being prepared for her grandson’s marriage proposal tomorrow. They will be sent to the bride’s family, who will then distribute them among relatives so everyone knows about the upcoming union and can begin building relations—a customary practice among the Han people in Longhu. If the groom’s family doesn’t have time to make the cakes at home, they can pay an equivalent amount of money for the bride’s family to buy the same quantity of biscuits or similar snacks instead. For larger families, sometimes over 1,000 cakes are made; usually, 500 to 600 are prepared. Today, we’re making more than 1,200.

　　These cakes are made from high-quality fresh glutinous rice through steps including steaming, machine grinding (or pounding with a pestle), kneading, arranging, and drying. The middle of the cake may be filled with stuffing. In Longhu, the typical filling consists of cooked rice beans (also called rice peas), stir-fried with oil, salt, and ginger over high heat until dry. Once dried, the mixture is shaped into evenly sized small balls—this step must be completed in advance. When forming the cakes, the hot dough is shaped into uniform balls, roughly the size of a fist. These balls are then flattened on the table, and a rice bean ball is placed in the center before the edges are slowly drawn together and kneaded into an attractive shape. The finished cakes are placed on large bamboo mats or clean tables covered with clean plastic film to dry. Some are made without filling and are simply served with honey or fried pumpkin seed powder.

　　The stuffed cakes should be eaten promptly and can be kept fresh for up to 72 hours; after that, they may spoil and are best not consumed. The unstuffed versions last longer. Therefore, when Han families in Longhu prepare these cakes for marriage-related occasions, the timing is carefully planned to ensure both quality and hygiene.

　　In Longhu Township, especially on market days, you can not only see and taste these uniquely local sticky rice cakes but also try another local specialty: “Jiaozi Cake,” a deep-fried treat coated with brown sugar. It becomes increasingly sweet and delicious the more you chew. For locals and visitors alike who come to the market, whether from near or far, these appetizing sticky rice cakes or Jiaozi Cakes often become their first choice when hunger strikes.