Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes

Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes

　　Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes are a specialty of Guiren Town, Sihong County, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. These pancakes are made through five processes: soaking the beans, mashing the bean paste, removing foam, grinding the batter, and dropping to fry. They are characterized by their golden-yellow, translucent appearance, pure bean flavor, smooth texture, and the ability to bend without breaking.

　　It is said that Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes originated during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, and they have a history of more than a thousand years. Authentic Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes use a type of "Mingzhu mung bean" as the main ingredient. After going through the five production steps, they are finally pan-fried on both sides on a flat griddle. The finished product is a light egg-yellow, semi-transparent, slightly chewy small round pancake. It can be served either as a dish or a staple food. No matter which cooking method is used—frying, stir-frying, braising, simmering, or stewing—the pancakes remain intact without disintegrating. They also offer a richly fragrant, soft, and crispy taste with a long-lasting aftertaste.

　　In recent years, it has become fashionable to give locally produced specialties as gifts to relatives and friends, so Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes have been taken to places such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, not to mention major provincial capitals across the country. Currently, the most authoritative and representative inheritor of the Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancake craft is Boss Chen Tongzhan from the southern end of the old street. Nowadays, Gui Ren Mung Bean Pancakes not only dominate the Sihong market but are also exported to Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou, Nanjing, and Huaiyin, becoming a major source of prosperity for Guiren Town.