Jiangxi Qingming Rice Cake
Jiangxi's Qingming Rice Cake comes in two varieties: sweet and savory. The most common savory filling consists of snow vegetable, bamboo shoots, and diced dried tofu. This filling, often mixed with traditionally cured salted pork, perfectly suits the strong-flavored preferences of Jiangxi locals. According to traditional local practice, large amounts of chili powder are added when stir-frying the filling, but considering varying spice tolerance, I replaced chili powder with chili oil. For savory Qingming Rice Cakes, there is a saying in Jiangxi: "If the filling is salty, the dough should be sweet." Therefore, sugar is generally added to the dough, allowing the steamed rice cakes to have a smooth, shiny texture that is irresistibly appetizing. The ratio of filling to flour is typically calculated as ten pounds of flour to three pounds of filling. The key to kneading the dough lies in mastering the proportions of mugwort, baking soda, coarse rice flour, and glutinous rice flour.
Ingredients
Steps
Soak snow vegetable and salted pork in warm water beforehand to remove some of their saltiness (as both are pickled items), then finely dice them. (Separate the fatty and lean parts of the pork; fatty pieces can be cut slightly larger.)
Slice dried tofu into three thin slices horizontally, as shown.
Cut tofu slices into strips, then dice them finely. This helps the tofu absorb flavors more easily.
Peeling bamboo shoots has a trick. First, make a vertical cut from top to bottom on the shoot.
Then insert your hand into the cut and peel the shoot’s skin outward. This method is quick and efficient.
Finely dice all ingredients: snow vegetable, bamboo shoots, tofu, and salted pork.
Heat the wok, add cooking oil (use more than usual for stir-frying), and cook the fatty salted pork over low heat to release its oil.
Switch to high heat and stir-fry the remaining pork until it changes color.
Add the snow vegetable and stir-fry until it releases a sour aroma.
Add the bamboo shoots and stir-fry until cooked through.
Add diced tofu and stir-fry evenly until cooked.
Enhance flavor with chili oil, spicy seasoning, and Hainan yellow chili sauce. Taste and adjust saltiness as required, balancing with sugar.
Prepare various flour ingredients (traditionally, coarse rice flour and glutinous rice flour are used, but nowadays, regular flour mixed with glutinous rice flour is common).
Clean the mugwort thoroughly.
Boil mugwort in hot water for 1 minute to disinfect (as it’s a wild herb) and remove its grassy smell.
Rinse the boiled mugwort with cold water, then squeeze out its bitter juice thoroughly. Form the mugwort into small balls (store unused balls in plastic bags in the freezer for future use).
Tear the mugwort balls into small pieces and place them in a pot. Add enough water to cover and some sugar. Boil on high heat, then reduce to low heat.
Add baking soda and cook until the mugwort turns into a soft, paste-like texture. Turn off the heat when the leaves can be easily mashed.
Pour the liquid from the boiled mugwort into a bowl, leaving the paste in the pot.
Gradually add coarse rice flour to the mugwort paste while stirring.
Mix and knead the flour with the mugwort paste, adding a bit of the mugwort liquid if it's too dry.
Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and moderately soft.
Sprinkle glutinous rice flour onto the kneaded dough.
Gradually knead the glutinous rice flour into the dough. If the dough feels dry, add some mugwort liquid. (Keep the liquid warm by placing the bowl over hot water.)
Knead until the dough feels elastic and reaches the right consistency.
Pinch off a small portion from the dough.
Roll it into a small ball in your palm.
Flatten the ball.
Use both hands to create a thin-edged, thick-center circular dough.
Place the filling in the center of the dough.
Fold the dough over the filling and seal it, similar to making dumplings. The Qingming Rice Cake is now formed.
Brush a layer of cooking oil on the bottom of the rice cakes.
Place bamboo leaves (or cloth) on a steamer rack. After boiling water on high heat, reduce to medium-low and steam the rice cakes for 15 minutes.