Rice Cake Information

Nian Gao English: rise cake; new year cake

[Nian Gao] Cake steamed with sticky rice or rice flour, a seasonal food for the lunar year.

During the Spring Festival, many regions in China have the custom of eating rice cakes. Rice cakes have yellow and white colors, symbolizing the gold and silver, rice cakes, also known as the "year cake", and "year high" resonance, implying that people's work and life improved year by year. That is why a poem by a former poet said that the rice cake: "The meaning of the rice cake is a little deeper than clouds, white as silver and yellow gold. Years of hope for high time to profit, pious and silent wishing wealth coming."

[Edit Paragraph]History of Rice Cake

As a food, rice cake has a long history in China.In 1974, archaeologists found full-grain, well-preserved rice seeds in the site of Yuyao Hemudu in Zhejiang Province, more than 7,000 years ago (the site of the matrilineal clan society of Yuyao Hemudu), which indicates that our ancestors began to cultivate rice as early as 7,000 years ago. During the Han Dynasty, rice cakes were known as "rice cake", "bait", "mochi" and so on. Han Dynasty Yang Xiong's "dialect" book has been "cake" in the title, Wei Jin and North and South Dynasties has been popular. Ancient people on the production of rice cakes also has a grain of rice cake to powder cake development process. The sixth century A.D. recipes "food times" contains rice cake "white cocoon sugar" production methods, "cooked cooking broomcorn millet rice, and hot in the mortar and pestle and pestle molar net, pounded for the rice advisory mochi, must be extremely cooked, do not let there be rice ...... "that is, after the glutinous rice is steamed, while hot, pounded into the rice advisory, and then cut into the size of a peach kernel, dried and deep-fried, rolled in sugar can be eaten. As early as in the Liao Dynasty, it is said that on the first day of the first month in Beijing, families have the custom of eating rice cakes. By the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, rice cakes had developed into a year-round snack on the market, with a difference in flavor between the north and the south. Rice cakes are delicious-sweet and mellow, with a strong historical flavor.

[Edit]Legend of Rice Cake

It is said that the rice cake spread from Suzhou. There is a legend of its origin: according to legend, in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, Wu Zixu helped King Helu seize the throne of Wu, and helped him throughout the year, strong state, but then Helu was complacent, ordered Wu Zixu to build "Helu big city" to show his merits.

When the city was completed, the king of Wu threw a feast to celebrate. During the banquet, the officials were drinking and thinking that with a strong city, they would be able to rest on their laurels. But Wu Zixu, the king's prime minister, was y worried. He called his personal attendant and told him, "All the officials now think that a high wall will keep the state of Wu in peace. While the walls can keep out the enemy soldiers, the people inside will be equally constrained if they want to get out. If the enemy surrounds but does not fight, will Wu not be cocooned in its own cocoon? Forgetfulness will lead to disaster. If anything should happen to me, and the state of Wu is besieged and in need of food and provisions, you may go and dig three feet under the city of Xiangmen to fetch food." The attendant thought that Wu Zixu had drunk too much wine and did not take it seriously.

Not long after, King Helu of Wu died, and Fu Chai succeeded to the throne. Listening to slander, Wu Zixu advised the king of Wu to reject the request for peace from King Goujian of Yue, who was disliked and sentenced to death. After Wu Zixu cut his own throat, King Goujian of Yue raised an army to attack Wu, and surrounded the capital city of Wu, Gusu. The Wu army was trapped in the city, with no food or cooking, and the cries of women and children in the streets were horrible to hear. At this time, the attendant remembered Wu Zixu's previous instructions, they rushed to gather the neighbors together to the Xiangmen digging for food, when dug to the city wall three feet deep, only to find that the city bricks are made of glutinous rice flour. The people were so excited that they knelt down towards the city wall and thanked Wu Zixu. The glutinous rice powder had saved the whole city. Under the auspices of Wu Zixu's family, the glutinous rice flour was distributed to the starving people in the city, and they were able to survive the famine for a while. Suzhou people admired Wu Zixu's patriotic spirit and henceforth prepared rice cakes in the winter months to show their nostalgia for Wu Zixu and to share with friends and relatives during the Spring Festival, which is a time to bring in the old and welcome the new. Therefore, the shape of Suzhou rice cakes is similar to that of city bricks, and they do not get mushy after boiling, do not crack after drying, and do not go bad after being stored for a long time.

[Edit Paragraph]The production of rice cakes

The method of making rice cakes by grinding glutinous rice is also very early. This can be proved from the Northern Wei Dynasty JiaSiFu's "QiMinYaoJu". The production method is, the glutinous rice flour with silk Luo sieve, add water, honey and into a harder dough, dates and chestnuts, etc. pasted on the dough, wrapped up with Ruo leaf steamed into. This kind of glutinous rice cake is quite characteristic of the Central Plains.

Rice cakes made of glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice is a specialty of Jiangnan, in the north, like glutinous rice, sticky grains, ancient first sticky millet (commonly known as millet). This kind of millet shelling powder, add water after steaming, and yellow, and sticky, but also sweet, is the Yellow River Basin people to celebrate the harvest of food. Chongzhen years of the Ming dynasty engraved in the "Imperial Beijing Scenery" an article recorded in Beijing at the time every "New Year's Day in the first month, eat millet cake, said the year cake". It is not difficult to see, "Nian Nian Cake" is the north of the "sticky cake" harmonized.

Experienced rice cake master said, to make good rice cake, the most important thing is to pay attention to the use of water and oil. In addition, the glutinous rice flour is pure is also very important, the general market to buy glutinous rice flour is mostly mixed with other rice flour, so eat up not soft and sticky. Therefore, rice cakes should be made directly from glutinous rice, in order to preserve the purity of the original flavor of the rice cakes. It is very easy to make rice cakes, rice cakes can be made into a variety of flavors, but are in the basic flavor of the original rice cakes on the addition of personal favorite other materials.

Not only is rice cake a festive delicacy, but it also brings new hope to people every year, symbolizing that everything is going well every year. As a poem in the late Qing Dynasty said, "The heart of the people is much better than the high, harmonic production of food, the meaning of the year is better than the year, the book to pray for the year of thinking."

[Edit paragraph] around the rice cake

China's wide geographical area, customs vary from place to place, the types of rice cakes are also varied. Representative of the north of the white cake, the yellow rice cake of the farmers in the north of the Sebei, the water mill rice cake in the south of the water village, the southwest of the glutinous rice; Taiwan's red tortoise cake and so on. Rice cake has the difference between the north and south flavor. Northern rice cakes have steamed, fried two kinds, are sweet; Southern rice cakes in addition to steaming, fried, there are still pieces of fried and soup cooking method, taste sweet and salty.

Beijing's rice cakes for the northern representative of the rice cakes, yellow and white colors, symbolizing gold, silver, and has a "year high" meaning of good luck. Therefore, a former poet said the rice cake: "rice cake symbolizes a little deep clouds, white as silver and yellow gold. I am looking forward to a high year when it is favorable, and I sincerely wish for wealth in the future." In fact, the history of rice cake has been recorded as early as the Zhou Dynasty in China. In the book "Guozha? Zaji" in the "shy side of the food, dry bait powder meal" of the "powder meal" is the rice flour steamed into a cake. Beijing snacks in the rice cake, with yellow rice or river rice noodles with a variety of auxiliary materials steamed and become. There are many varieties of rice cakes, including jujube rice cake, bean rice cake, and rice cake lumps. Fine rice cakes have white fruit, assorted, crystal, such as, cooking methods for steaming, but also useful for deep-frying dipped in sugar to eat, are sweet and sticky characteristics.

Beijing's rice cakes are generally halal Hui people snack store supply, in addition to a large number of annual festival supply, usually also supply, but the number and variety are less than the Spring Festival. The rice cake is a halal Hui people snacks, but also the Manchu jump with the sacrifices. The Manchu name is Fei Shi Hei Ah Feng. Shen Zhao of the Qing Dynasty wrote a poem: "The cake is called Feishiheafeng, and the taste is as greasy as fat and the color is like cong. The flavor is as creamy as fat and the color is like cong. The fragrance is clean and surely known to the god to be paid, and it is as precious as golden chrysanthemum and hibiscus." Note that: "Manchuria jumping god offerings have flying stone black A Feng, sticky grain rice cake also. Color yellow as jade, taste greasy as fat, miserable fake oil powder, dipped in honey quite fragrant islets, jumping after, this partial gift to neighbors and relatives. And golden chrysanthemum, hibiscus, all cake name." Visible rice cakes at least in the Qing Dynasty is the Manchu snack varieties.

The southern rice cake is different, Guangdong rice cake is generally made of glutinous rice flour, sticky powder, oil, melon seeds, bamboo leaves and other ingredients. Its color is golden red, soft, smooth, sweet and fragrant, delicious. Hainan rice cake surface smooth, yellow color soft, sweet taste. According to the local custom, every lunar month, every family to celebrate the New Year and rush to make rice cakes, and as a holiday gift. Its main ingredients are glutinous rice, sugar, sesame, red dates, water. Hainan rice cakes can be eaten in a variety of ways can be baked or eaten softly, can also be eaten in the cake soup, but also can be cut into thin slices and fried to eat. Jiangsu and Zhejiang New Year's custom must rice cakes, and many kinds of rice cakes, osmanthus sugar rice cakes, lard rice cakes, rice cakes, water milled rice cakes, eight treasures rice cakes and so on. Jiangsu's rice cake is typical of Suzhou's, which is made of glutinous rice, mainly osmanthus sugar rice cake and lard rice cake; Zhejiang's rice cake is common in Ningbo's, which is mainly made of late-grained round-grained rice and water-ground rice cake. Taiwan compatriots also eat rice cakes every year, when making rice cakes, first wash a mixture of glutinous rice, Penglai rice, soak for three hours, grind into rice paste and press dry, add sugar, banana oil and knead well. Put a layer of cellophane on the bottom of the steamer, put the kneaded rice flour on top, and put a bamboo tube in each corner for ventilation. About two or three hours of steaming, insert chopsticks into the rice flour to see if there is no raw powder, do the pot at any time to add water until steamed until, and then the rice cake cut into pieces, save slowly eat.

[edit]Rice cake practice

A, eight treasure rice cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 20 grams of sugar, 20 grams of Ma Ren, 20 grams of plums, 20 grams of raisins, 20 grams of dried peaches, 20 grams of winter melon strips, 20 grams of white lotus.

Practice:

1, the first 1000 grams of glutinous rice washed, soaked in water for 24 hours on the drawer steamed, removed with a wooden stick pounded cool standby.

2, the sugar, sesame seeds, plums, raisins, dried peaches, melon strips, white lotus 20 grams of each stirred into the filling.

3, in a square plate, brush a layer of lard, paved with pounded 1 cm thick glutinous rice, each paved with the appropriate amount of filling, *** paved three layers.

4, on the pot steamed, cut into small pieces with a knife can be eaten.

Second, sandwich rice cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 50 grams of soybeans, 50 grams of green silk, 50 grams of red silk, sugar.

Practice:

1, 1000 grams of glutinous rice washed, soaked for 24 hours on the drawer steamed, removed with a wooden stick and pounded to unfold cut into two pieces.

2, 50 grams of small beans boiled, add sugar and green and red silk 50 grams each to make the filling.

3. Sprinkle the filling on the surface of one of the pieces, and then put the other piece on the filling, compacted, pressed, and then cut into pieces with a knife.

Third, fried white cake

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 500 milliliters of oil.

Practice:

1, 1000 grams of glutinous rice washed and soaked in water, drained, on the drawer steamed until cooked, removed with a wooden stick pounded, crushed into pieces.

2, the first rice cake with a knife cut into small pieces of about 50 grams, and then 500 ml of oil in a pot to boil, and then into the rice cake, to be fried until the rice cake floats, you can fish out.

Fourth, fried flower rice cakes

Ingredients: 1000 grams of glutinous rice, 250 grams of round-grained rice, 50 grams of lard, 50 grams of sugar, 50 grams of osmanthus sauce, a little peanut oil.

Practice:

1, 1000 grams of glutinous rice and 250 grams of round-grained rice washed, soaked, and then add water to grind into a pulp, put into a cloth bag and press the water dry.

2, the pulp into the basin, add lard, sugar and cinnamon sauce 50 grams each stirred.

3, in the square plate brushed with peanut oil, the churned powder dough into the plate flat, on the drawer with a high fire steam about 30 bells cooked.

4, cool and cut into long squares, and then put into the peanut oil pan with medium heat to fry through.

V. Soup rice cake

Ingredients: rice cake, red beans, silver ear.

Practice:

1. Silver fungus soaked and washed; red beans washed, soaked in hot water bored half an hour.

2. Add a bowl of water and stew for half an hour.

3. Half an hour later, add the silver fungus began to cook, and then stew for half an hour.

4. Steam the rice cake and then slice or rub round to add to the soup.

Six, bean paste rice cake soup

1, the pot of water boiling, Ningbo water milled rice cakes cut into slices under the water to cook, and then small fire heating waiting for the second process. If you are willing to eat a little bit of gluten, you can cut the rice cake thicker.

2, the bean paste in a bowl like mixing flour, water dilution, slowly poured into the pot to cook rice cakes, with a spoon to mix, according to the taste of some sugar, it's OK.

Seven, vegetables and meat fried rice cakes

Ingredients: shredded meat, vegetables (generally use rape), rice cakes

Practice:

1, shredded meat with tender meat powder to catch a bit of cooking wine and oil to put in and mix well; vegetables cut into the right length

2, the pot of oil, fried shredded meat and vegetables, a bit of salt, fried and put out standby

3, then Put oil, under the rice cake, fast fried, and constantly add some water to prevent sticking to the pan, fried to rice cake soft, add fried shredded meat and vegetables, put some salt, chicken essence, you can add a little water, and so the soup is basically close to dry up the pot.

eight, crispy fried rice cakes and seaweed roll

Material: rice cakes moderate, seaweed several, fried batter moderate

Practice: first rice cakes cut into four square type, the size of random, and then wrapped in seaweed, dipped in fried batter, put in about 170 degrees of oil deep frying until crispy, on the plate can be used.

Tips: Control the oil temperature, not too high or too low.

Nine: Rice Cake Sugar Water

Ingredients: 150g of two-color rice cake, 40g of ginger, 450g of water, 75g of rock sugar

Directions: Cut the two-color rice cake into squares of any size; boil the water and ginger in a boiling water bath for about five minutes.

Tips: Reduce the sweetness to your liking. Do not cook the rice cakes for too long.

Tenth: Crispy fried Gillette water chestnut cake

Ingredients: water chestnut cake, breadcrumbs, egg, cornstarch

Directions: Cut the cake into pieces, dip it in cornstarch, coat it in egg batter, and then coat it with breadcrumbs and deep-fry it in boiling oil at about 170 degrees Fahrenheit until it is golden brown.

Tips: Serve with eggplant sauce for a non-greasy feel.

Eleven: Cantonese-Hong Kong style rice cakes

Ingredients: rice cakes, cooking oil

Directions:

1. Frying - Cut the rice cakes into slices of any size. Put a small amount of oil and fry the rice cakes until golden brown.

2. Steam - Cut the rice cakes into slices and steam them thoroughly.

Tips: This is a great way to keep the original flavor of the rice cake and the texture is delicate and smooth.

Twelve, crab small rice cakes

Ingredients: crab, small rice cakes, green onions, ginger, low-sodium salt, sugar, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, cooking wine, water starch

Methods:

1, the crab cut into pairs, into the frying pan pan frying sheng;

2, in the leftover oil in the rice cakes stir-fried;

3, will be fried in the pan together with crab

4, put cooking wine, ginger, soy sauce and other seasoning and simmer for a while;

5, then, put sugar and a little monosodium glutamate;

6, the last thickening can be out of the pot.

13, sausage rice cake

Ingredients: sausage ＼ rice cake ＼ green pepper ＼ carrot

Ingredients: green onion

Method:

1. all kinds of raw materials sliced

2. pot a little oil, add the shallot fried

3. add sausage

4. add rice cake, you can add a little water, rice cake will be softened.

5. Add green pepper ＼ carrot, stir-fried out of the pot

A reminder

rice cake is not only sweet and savory flavor, but also rich in nutrients, but also has the role of fitness to get rid of diseases. According to laboratory tests, rice cakes have a high calorie content, which is several times that of rice. However, rice cake contains little moisture, not easy to digest, easy to eat phlegm. Therefore, people suffering from indigestion, stomach and intestinal diseases and asthma should not eat more. Eat less and not greasy, that is, supplemental nutrition, but also good for the body.

Nutritional analysis

Rice cakes contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other nutrients-healthy elements

Preservation of rice cakes

Soaking the rice cakes in water is a good way to preserve them, but be careful, soaked in water needs to be washed every day, and the water needs to be changed every day, so that it can be preserved for longer time; if your rice cakes have been immersed in water without washing or changing the water, and have developed a sour flavor, they can no longer be eaten.