Luobiao Glutinous Rice Dumplings

Luobiao Glutinous Rice Dumplings

　　Luobiao Glutinous Rice Dumplings

　　　In Luobiao Town, Gong County, Yibin City — known as the "First City on the Yangtze River" — there is a famous local snack called Luobiao Glutinous Rice Dumplings.

　　Legend has it that the leader of the Bo people, King Ha, had a lesser-known younger brother from the common folk named A’Dan. A’Dan was exceptionally intelligent, having read many books, and was born with a deep aversion to the bloody power struggles and deceit of royal conflicts. He yearned to live a free and joyful life. At the age of 18, he secretly fell in love with a common girl named Zhuer. When their relationship was discovered by his father the king, A’Dan was scolded for being worthless, and the girl he loved was killed. Heartbroken, A’Dan went to Liantai Mountain Temple in Luobiao, Gong County, to become a monk. However, unable to let go of worldly ties, he longed day and night for the woman he loved. One night, A’Dan hallucinated that Zhuer came to see him and told him to pound glutinous rice into powder using a stone mortar, make it into dumplings, and offer them to her as a memorial — this would connect the bonds of love across the realms of the living and the dead. Overjoyed, A’Dan realized it was just a dream. The next day, he got up early, washed the glutinous rice, pounded it into powder, and made dumplings with sweet fillings, symbolizing a sweet life. He then offered them to Zhuer. Soon after, a familiar figure appeared and a few dumplings disappeared. A’Dan understood that the rest were left for him. They tasted sweet and delicious. Since then, these glutinous rice dumplings named after Zhuer have spread throughout Gong County and became a beloved delicacy for entertaining honored guests.

　　Since then, through continuous refinement, the making process has become increasingly meticulous. Today’s Luobiao Glutinous Rice Dumplings can be described as exquisitely crafted. First, high-quality glutinous rice with good stickiness is carefully selected and soaked in cold water for seven days and nights. It is then pounded into fine powder using a stone mortar with foot power — if machine-ground or mill-ground flour is used, the taste of the dumplings will be far inferior. After drying or lightly baking until all moisture is gone, the powder is mixed with water at around 20°C to form the dough. The craftsmanship must be very refined, resulting in dumplings of various shapes, with equally refined fillings. There are many kinds of fillings: some are made with maltose blended with sesame and black sesame; others use fresh lean meat, chicken, winter bamboo shoots, and other main ingredients. The dumplings are steamed in bamboo steamers and are fragrant, delicious, and have a long-lasting aftertaste. The taste is pure and rich without being greasy. Moreover, they offer great benefits such as nourishing yin, moistening dryness, enhancing vitality, and improving intelligence. They are truly a unique delicacy of the Bo region.