Coix Seed Cake

Coix Seed Cake

　　Coix Seed Cake is a snack made by wrapping various fillings in glutinous rice flour dough. Fillings come in many varieties—sesame, peanut, shredded coconut... But the focus isn’t on the filling; rather, it’s all about how soft, smooth, and non-sticky the steamed glutinous rice skin is. That’s the real craftsmanship.

　　Peel off the outer layer of green leaf, take a gentle bite—it’s sticky, smooth, sweet, and soft, with a faint hint of coconut. Who knew glutinous rice could taste this good?

　　 Those who have lived in Hainan are no strangers to Coix Seed Cake. However, “Coix Seed Cake” is not its formal written name but rather a direct transliteration from the local Hainan dialect—even locals aren’t sure how to write it properly. Eating Coix Seed Cake is a common habit across Hainan, but it’s especially popular in places like Haikou, Qiongshan, Ding’an, and Wenchang.

　　 Coix Seed Cake is a snack made by wrapping various fillings in glutinous rice flour dough. Fillings come in many varieties—sesame, peanut, shredded coconut... But the focus isn’t on the filling; rather, it’s all about how soft, smooth, and non-sticky the steamed glutinous rice skin is. That’s the real craftsmanship.

　　 Preparation method: Soak glutinous rice in water for 3–4 hours, then grind it into a slurry. Strain it through a cloth bag to extract the damp powder (about 50% moisture), then cook one-third of the dry powder with water to make cooked powder. Mix this with two-thirds of the dry powder, knead into wet dough, then shape the dough into equal-sized balls. Flatten each ball into a round disc with your hand, add your favorite mashed filling in the center—such as fried peanuts, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, sugar or brown sugar, winter melon strips… After wrapping, place the cake into a small coconut leaf–woven container (about 1 cm tall and 4–5 cm in diameter with a bottom; some regions use jackfruit or banana leaves instead). The size of the container determines the size of the cake. Then press the cake flat to match the container and steam it over high heat. The result is sweet, fragrant, and delicious. For an even more authentic Hainanese flavor, try making it with pure shredded coconut.