Yuxi Braised Rice Cake

Yuxi Braised Rice Cake

　　“Glistening with oil yet fragrant to the bite,” Yuxi Braised Rice Cake is beloved for its thick sauce that clings to the rice cake, offering a rich but not greasy taste, tender yet not sticky, and growing more delicious the more you chew.

　　Yuxi Braised Rice Cake has a history of around 70 years. Legend has it that in the 1920s, the well-known chef Zhai Yong’an from Yuxi ran a small eatery called “Yongshun Garden” on Duan Shi Street in Kunming, primarily selling rice cakes and small-pot rice noodles. Chef Zhai was well-versed in preparing various types of rice noodles and rice cakes, constantly adding new varieties. Once, a staff member suggested that they were tired of simply boiling the rice cakes and asked if they could add a Yuxi-style braised version. Chef Zhai and the others discussed it and reasoned that just as there is braised liver, braised duck, and braised meat, why not braised rice cakes? So, he combined the strengths of stir-fried rice cakes and small-pot boiled rice cakes, and used the braising method to create this uniquely delicious Yuxi Braised Rice Cake. Thanks to their meticulous preparation and high-quality ingredients, this distinctive rice cake quickly won over many customers. Business at “Yongshun Garden” flourished more and more.

　　Yuxi Braised Rice Cake has maintained its unique flavor through the years. Its preparation is also quite simple: place a small pot on the stove, add chicken broth, and bring it to a boil. Then add chopped Chinese chives, pickled vegetables, shredded rice cakes, fresh minced meat, soy sauce, chili oil, and MSG in sequence. When the broth is almost dried up, add lard, stir the bottom of the pot with a spoon to coat the rice cake with oil, flip it a few times in the pot, and it’s done.

　　Today, many eateries in Yuxi serve braised rice cake. Travelers from near and far often stop by to enjoy this delicious treat.