Fried Oil Cake of Fanshi

Fried Oil Cake of Fanshi

　　The cake eaten by people in Fanshi is neither the glutinous rice cake consumed in southern China, nor the white flour cake blanched with boiling water favored in southern Shanxi. Instead, it is made from soft millet. As a local specialty of Fanshi, this cake is soft, smooth, and pleasant to the taste, with a fragrant aroma. It can be served as a staple food with either meat or vegetables, suitable for all ages, appropriate in all seasons, and nutritious enough to stave off hunger. There’s a local saying: “Fifty li on oat noodles, seventy li on cake, thirty li on buckwheat noodles and your waist gives out.” Moreover, since the word for “cake” (糕, gāo) sounds the same as “high” (高, gāo), it is not just a delicious food but also a symbol of good fortune. From birth — during the “third-day bath,” “full moon,” “hundredth-day celebration,” “school enrollment,” “moving to a new home,” “engagement,” “wedding,” “birthday,” “festivals,” “hosting guests,” and even “funerals” — cake is always involved. Cake weaves through the entire life of a person in Fanshi, illustrating its significant place in their daily lives. The people of Fanshi love cake, eat cake, and have developed countless ways to enjoy it, mastering it to perfection.

　　Cake is made from millet. The husked millet is called yellow millet, ground into flour it becomes cake flour, and when mixed with water and steamed, it turns into cake. To enjoy high-quality cake, even the process from planting to harvest has its nuances. Millet is a monocotyledonous plant belonging to the grass family. First, the seeds should be selected from large red millet with purple stalks, which results in a cake that is yellow, chewy, soft, and fragrant. There’s a folk saying: “Large red millet with purple stalks — you’ll miss it if you go three days without it.” Millet is among the late-planted and early-harvested crops of the autumn season. It is sown around Mangzhong (Grain in Ear) and harvested between Autumn Wind and Cold Dew, with only about a hundred days of growth period in the field. It thrives in mild climates, prefers sunny slopes, and loves farmyard manure such as sheep dung. Therefore, within the territory of Fanshi, lower altitudes are better suited for growing millet — the higher the altitude, the less chewy the resulting cake. For the best taste, fresh millet with newly yellowed grains is ideal. Coarse sieving yields coarse flour, while fine sieving yields fine cake flour; the finer the flour, the smoother and more delicious the steamed cake. When mixing the dough, first blend the water and flour evenly, let it rest briefly, then mix again. Kneading cake flour is called “rubbing the cake flour,” which involves vigorously rubbing the water-blended and rested cake flour in a basin with your hands. Well-rubbed raw dough results in a chewier cake. Then shape it into lumps and steam over high heat. Steam one layer, then sprinkle another — do not sprinkle too thickly at once. Because the cake is highly sticky, the top layer exposed first to heat turns mushy, blocking the steam from reaching the layers below, resulting in undercooked “bald cakes” that are gummy, unpleasant, and may even cause diarrhea. Therefore, after steaming, use chopsticks to check for any undercooked parts inside — only when none remain should the cake be taken off the heat. Freshly steamed cake is called “raw cake” and can be eaten, but it’s not as delicious as “kneaded cake.” Kneading cake involves pressing and flipping the raw cake in the basin with both hands, like kneading dough, until the basin, hands, and cake are all smooth. Kneading cake is very hot work — keep cold water nearby, dip your hands in to cool down periodically, but make sure to shake off excess water before continuing, as too much moisture will ruin the quality of the cake.

　　Cakes are divided into oil cakes and plain cakes. As the name suggests, oil cakes are fried, while plain cakes are served with dips. People often say, “Save oil by eating plain cake,” as if eating plain cake is just a way to economize. But there’s another saying: “Oil cake, plain cake — with meat, it’s perfect.” For the people of Fanshi, influenced by northern ethnicities and fond of rich meats and liquors, meat-dipped cake is the most delicious fare. The creators of Chinese characters might have been foodies themselves, combining the character for “rice” (米) with the character for “lamb” (羔) to form “cake” (糕) — isn’t that essentially lamb dipped in plain cake from Fanshi? The fragrant cake paired with the rich aroma of lamb makes lamb-dipped cake one of the most delightful foods in the world. Likewise, pork-dipped cake and chicken-dipped cake are also exquisite. For those who prefer non-meat options, dipping the cake in sauces made from yam, pumpkin, tofu, or sweet syrup is equally tasty. I once saw a bachelor simplify his meal by stir-frying roasted hemp seeds into a paste, adding water and stirring it into a porridge-like mixture to dip his cake — a unique flavor in its own right. This is largely because the cake of Fanshi is so authentic — soft, smooth, chewy, and fragrant — it tastes great no matter how you prepare it.

　　Oil cake, also known as fried cake, comes in two types: stuffed and sweet slices. Stuffed varieties include vegetable pockets, red bean paste cake, sugar cake, jujube paste cake, and sesame paste cake. Each carries its own symbolic meaning: vegetable pockets signify “smooth progress”; red bean paste ones are called “red at heart”; sugar-stuffed ones are “sweet at heart”; jujube paste ones represent “early success”; and sesame paste ones imply “prosperity like sesame flowers in bloom.” Aside from everyday consumption based on personal taste, these cakes are also prepared symbolically during hosting or festive celebrations. Among vegetable pocket cakes, two particularly distinctive types are garlic pockets and chive cakes. Garlic pockets are filled with sautéed shredded carrots and diced tofu seasoned with Sichuan peppercorn, scallions, ginger, oil, and salt. When eating, a corner is bitten open and filled with vinegar and garlic juice, offering a uniquely aromatic bite. Chive cakes are made by steaming and peeling yams, grating the flesh, and mixing it with soaked “dìpí cài” (a type of lichen, scientific name Umbilicaria esculenta) along with chopped chives, all seasoned with Sichuan peppercorn, scallions, ginger, oil, and salt. “Chive cake bends your waist with fragrance” — a common reaction from those who’ve tried it — making it one of the most distinctive dishes in Fanshi.

　　Sweet slice cakes are often prepared when serving larger gatherings. The cake is hand-rolled into sticks about two to three inches thick on a large board. A thick string roughly one meter long, with a small wooden stick tied to each end, is used: the maker holds one stick in their mouth and the other in their hand. With the other hand, they wrap the string around the cake stick, pull it tight, and slice off a small, about one-centimeter-thick piece. After pressing it slightly, it’s ready for deep-frying. For a more refined presentation, the cake is first rolled into a large sheet less than one centimeter thick on the board, spread with red jujube or jujube paste to create a red layer, then folded or rolled as desired. Finally, it’s shaped into a stick and sliced using the string — sometimes forming patterns like the Chinese characters for “longevity” (寿) or “joy” (喜), enhancing the festive atmosphere.

　　For frying oil cakes, various animal or vegetable oils can be used, but the most fragrant and authentic choice is full-seed flaxseed oil. The heat should be moderate — not too fierce. Too high a flame will char the cake black, making it tough. Too low a flame leaves it pale and soggy, not crispy. The ideal sound is a gentle sizzle as the cake hits the oil, filling the air with aroma. Fry until golden brown. Cake is best eaten right after frying, when the fragrance of the cake, the richness of the filling, the aroma of frying, and the texture of a crispy outside with a soft inside all come together in perfect harmony — truly indescribable.