Rice cake pancake

Rice cake pancake

　　 "Erkuai" specifically refers to food made by pounding steamed rice. According to Shuowen Jiezi: "Er (饵) means a flour cake." "The term 'Er' implies something as firm as jade ornaments." The process involves first steaming the rice and then pounding it to preserve the rice’s natural chewiness, resulting in the food known as "Er."

The cylindrical and rolled forms of Erkuai in Yunnan are considered "New Year goods." For the Yunnanese, celebrating the New Year without Erkuai is simply not complete. Making, eating, and giving Erkuai to one another during Spring Festival is an ancient folk custom. The best Erkuai comes from Guandu in Kunming, especially those pounded by the locals of Guandu Zijian. Made with the clean and pure water of Baoxiang River and the plump, glossy grains of Guandu rice, the resulting Erkuai is snow-white, delicate, firm yet soft and glutinous. "Catching a glimpse of the pleated skirts and wooden clogs of Zijian folk, you’ll hear calls of Erkuai arriving at the market."

As for the sauces served with Erkuai, the sauce most beloved by people in Kunming is sesame-peanut sauce—sweet and fragrant. There’s also sesame-peanut sauce, along with sweet sauce, spicy sauce, and even Yunnan fermented tofu has been turned into an Erkuai sauce. From “chicken shredded fried rice noodles,” the braised Erkuai evolved, with the “braised Erkuai from Duanshi Street” being the most famous—shiny, red-hued, richly aromatic, oily yet not greasy.

The "meat-filled rice cake rice noodles" from Weishan in Dali can be regarded as the finest of all Erkuai-style dishes. The fatty meat is rich but melts in your mouth; the lean meat is not sliced with a knife but instead falls apart with just a poke of chopsticks. On Tangshuang Road in Kunming, a shop opened by someone from Weishan attracts knowledgeable diners who come for its fragrant Erkuai—it’s so delicious it leaves you sweaty and with flavor lingering on your cheeks and teeth.

Aside from the savory boiled Erkuai, there are also sweet versions. Such as "sweet white liquor Erkuai" cooked with sweet white wine, "twisted cruller Erkuai" or "milk Erkuai" cooked with twisted crullers and white sugar, and so on—very popular among those with a sweet tooth. Similar to Xi’an’s yangrou paomo (lamb stewed with bread), there's also the style where Erkuai is sliced, grilled, then broken into small pieces and soaked in chicken soup—offering a unique flavor reminiscent of Xi’an’s “lamb paomo.”

And when a slice of braised beef is sandwiched inside a toasted Erkuai, it earns the delightful nickname of a “Yunnan-style hamburger”—a truly unique oddity among Erkuai creations.