Kaihua steamed cake

Kaihua Steam Cake is a special snack in Kaihua County, Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The first thing that countless civilized people want to eat when they leave their hometown is steam cake. There are many kinds of ingredients for steam cake, such as dried shredded fragrant bamboo shoots and shrimp skin, which are familiar to everyone. Once the most famous was "the first cake in Qianjiangyuan". Steam cakes have a long history and spread widely in Kaihua. Almost every household in the local area will distribute steam cakes, which is an indispensable food for breakfast in Kaihua snack bar and one of the favorite snacks of Kaihua people. Especially on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month (that is, the traditional July and a half, also called "Ghost Festival"), every household in Kaihua has to steam several cages of steamed cakes, which is a necessary offering for people to worship their ancestors. This custom has continued to this day. The steamed cake is made of rough early rice, which is soaked overnight and ground into powder. When water is added, it becomes rice slurry, which should not be too thin or too thick, but should be constantly adjusted according to the weather changes, otherwise the steamed cake made is either too soft or too hard, and it always lacks elasticity when bitten. The tools for making steamed cakes are also unique. A small iron pot is placed at the top of a small coal stove, an aluminum plate with holes is placed, a layer of gauze is laid, and two or three spoonfuls of fermented rice slurry are scooped up and spread flat. Then according to personal taste, sprinkle with stuffing such as shrimp, pork, dried bean curd, etc., and keep heating, and the steam will slowly rise from the round hole. Ten minutes later, a steamed cake with a thickness of about 1.5 cm, fragrant and glutinous, white and crystal clear, soft and elastic will be made. Cut it into small pieces, put it in oil and fry it slightly. As soon as the fragrance comes out, it makes people drool.
Reprinted with attribution： https://cnlocality.com/(Chinese Specialty Products)