Xi'an Special Sweets [zeng Cake] (pronunciation: Jing Four-tone Cake)

Name: Xi'an Special Sweets [zeng Cake] (pronunciation: Jing Four-tone Cake)
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 650g Round glutinous rice; 200g Jujube; 100g Kidney Beans

by Handsome chef

5.0 (1)

Favorite

Difficulty

Easy

Time

2h

Serving

2

Speaking of snacks in Xi'an, I have to mention Hui snacks.

In addition to the famous beef and mutton steamed buns, Hui people’s sweets and snacks have occupied the top spot in Xi’an’s snacks and sweets industry, and among them, [Zeng Gao] is the most famous.

Selling zeng cakes is a technical task. The skilled old seller will use a small shovel to properly blend the "rice", "jujube" and "beans". One bite has the fragrance of dates and the flavor of rice, as well as the soft texture of beans. If you are a novice, the same pot of Zeng cake will be sold "against one's wish."
Many of my friends don’t know how to pronounce the word "Zeng Gao" for the first time. In fact, Shaanxi people call it "jing pu (four tones)." Many people in Xi'an only know that they can't read or write. "Zeng" said zeng four times. Retort is actually a very large and deep container. Retort is a container with small holes at the bottom. It is said that the retort was produced in the later period of primitive society. In the Neolithic period, there was also a pottery retort. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, it was developed into bronze casting. After the production of ironware, it became an iron retort. The ancient Zeng cake is first manifested in its cooking utensils. It is steamed using the Zeng pot which evolved from the oldest steaming tool "Zeng", which is also the reason for its name. Zeng was produced in the later period of primitive society. In the Neolithic Age, there was also a pottery Zeng. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, it developed into a bronze Zeng, and later it became iron. Since then, the Tie Zeng cookware has been inherited from generation to generation and has been passed down to this day. This iron retort is shaped like a cylinder, with many small holes for ventilation at the bottom. . Think of it as a cauldron for the time being. As for why it is pronounced "Jing Gao", I don't know haha.

In addition to the ancient cooking utensils, Zeng cake evolved from the special food "Fen Cong" used by princes during the Western Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the "Fenchou" is a cake made by adding red bean paste to glutinous rice flour and steamed without jujube. It was only developed into jujube rice combined steaming in Tang Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, Wei Juyuan's "Crystal Dragon and Phoenix Cake" in the "Burning Tail Banquet" hosted by Emperor Zhongzong was in the same line as the present Zeng Cake.
There is also a small mirror cake in Xi'an, which has similar pronunciations, but things are far apart. I also show you the last picture

It is also a glutinous rice product, which is steamed with glutinous rice flour, dipped in various sweet sauces, and wrapped in peanuts and sesame seeds, which are very popular with children. "

Ingredients

Xi'an Special Sweets [zeng Cake] (pronunciation: Jing Four-tone Cake)

1. Prepare raw materials (for glutinous rice, choose round grains for good viscosity, for kidney beans, choose flowered kidney beans or red kidney beans)

Xi'an Special Sweets [zeng Cake] (pronunciation: Jing Four-tone Cake) recipe

2. Soak kidney beans in cold water for more than 12 hours (Kidney beans must be soaked thoroughly or it will be difficult to steam)

3. Soak glutinous rice for more than 6 hours

4. Wash the jujube (choose the sweet jujube, the pickled candied jujube is the best)

5. If it’s dried dates, put it on the pot and steam for 10 minutes

6. Steamed jujube, remove jujube and huer

7. Find a deeper container and spread a layer of glutinous rice (it can be thicker)

8. Spread the steamed jujube evenly

9. Spread glutinous rice a second time (be sure to cover the dates)

10. Spread a layer of kidney beans

11. Spread the last layer of glutinous rice (spread all the remaining glutinous rice, make it thicker)

12. The remaining jujube on the top layer looks like this from bottom to top: 1. 40% glutinous rice, 2. 50% jujube, 3. 20% glutinous rice, 4. 100% kidney beans, 5. 40% glutinous rice, 6. The specific proportion of 50% jujube does not need to be so accurate, only the bottom and top two layers of glutinous rice can be thick.

13. Add a proper amount of water until the jujube on the top will be covered, (how to judge? The water can be seen by tilting the container slightly, and the water can not be seen by not tilting it)

14. Cover with plastic wrap, put it in an electric pressure cooker, adjust the time to the longest, a complete program, and then steam for half the longest program. (It takes a longer time to fully steam it, authentic Zeng cakes are steamed overnight)

Tips:
Talking: Maybe many friends think this is glutinous rice with red dates? In fact, you can understand it this way. But "Zeng cake" is definitely not a simple "red jujube glutinous rice", or people in Xi'an won't rush out to eat early. Only those made by steaming in a large pot for a long time can be regarded as a real "Zeng cake" and it is very difficult for us to do it at home, because it is steamed for a long time in a large container, "Zeng cake" There is sweetness in every grain of rice, and the fragrance of rice is permeated in every jujube. Everyone must have eaten sweet rice with red dates, right? However, people who have eaten "Zeng Gao" are all exclaimed. There is such a delicious "red jujube sweet rice." This is why I have to choose pressure cooker steaming. In spite of this, it is still difficult to make a really good "Zeng cake" at home. Here I will just briefly introduce the snacks in Xi'an-"Zeng cake".

Shuai welcomes everyone to come to Xi'an to taste food and culture in Shaanxi.