Mi Huangzi

Mi Huangzi

　　Mi Huangzi is a snack from Ningxia. First, yellow millet flour is mixed with water to form a paste and left to ferment. In a covered, concave pan, clear oil and candy candies (maltose) are added, then the fermented yellow millet batter is poured in. After frying, it is taken out of the pan. One side is brownish, the other milky white. It is fried to order and sold fresh, resembling a cake, with a soft, crispy, sweet, and fragrant taste. Swirl powder cold dish: Cut swirl powder skin into strips, add a small amount of greens, and mix with mustard sauce, mashed garlic, sesame paste, and aged vinegar to create a seasonal delicacy in late spring and early summer.

　　Originating in the late Qing Dynasty, it is also known as "Plum Blossom Cake."

　　Mi Huangzi is a distinctive snack that originated in Zhongwei, Ningxia. Known for being "yellow on the outside, soft and sticky on the inside, sweet and delicious," it once conquered the palates of the people of Ningxia. However, even in today’s Zhongwei, few young people know about Mi Huangzi. Even the older generation, though aware of it, rarely get to see or taste this delicacy.

　　Meticulously made, yet the delicious treat is gradually fading away.

　　The name “Mi Huangzi” likely comes from its ingredients. Although it is just a local flavor snack, making Mi Huangzi is not simple—it involves more than ten different ingredients. Ma Jinzhu explains that the main ingredients include yellow millet flour, alkali, sesame oil, maltose, glutinous rice, peanuts, raisins, goji berries, red dates, and sesame seeds.

　　During preparation, first, yellow millet flour is mixed with water and alkali to form a fermented paste. Then, it is scooped into a covered, concave pan, where clear oil, candy candies (malt sugar), and sesame are added and slowly fried over low heat. Next, fermented glutinous rice batter is poured in, followed by goji berries, red dates, raisins… A layer of glutinous rice batter is then poured on top, after which the concave pan is flipped over and heated for a few more minutes before it is ready to be served. The finished Mi Huangzi has one brownish side and one milky white side. Fried to order and sold fresh, it resembles a cake, with a tender, fragrant, soft, and sweet taste. Although the entire production process takes only seven minutes, the preparation work leading up to those seven minutes is extensive. Moreover, only seven Mi Huangzi can be made per pan, and they must be made and sold fresh; otherwise, their pure flavor cannot be preserved.

　　“Making Mi Huangzi is meticulous. The fermented ingredients spoil easily, making mass production unsuitable, yet workshop-style production cannot meet market demand,” says Ma Jinzhu. As a result, the business of Ma-style Mi Huangzi is quite bleak under these circumstances. Ma Jinzhu and his wife now manage a single stall selling Mi Huangzi at Zhongwei Mall, barely sustaining themselves with meager earnings. “On good days, we can make a few hundred yuan, but in the off-season, the worst days bring in just a few dozen yuan.” After deducting costs, little is left.

　　As a traditional snack, Mi Huangzi is delicious but now rarely seen. Although this delicacy has “inevitably” faded away, its sweet flavor stubbornly remains in people’s memories.

　　Source: Yinchuan Evening News