Sticky Rice Cake with Lotus Seed Paste
A Crumbly Cake with a Smooth Filling
The appeal of sticky rice cake with lotus seed paste is not just in its golden brown, flaky crust, but even more so in its delicate filling that is made with sesame paste and lotus seed paste. The sesame paste is first diluted with warm water, and then mixed with sesame oil. After that, powdered brown sugar, lotus seed paste, and rendered lard are added. This filling is not only tasty and fragrant, but it is moist and soft as well, so that its gentle texture compliments the flakiness of the cake crust perfectly.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) glutinous rice flour
- 2.82 ounces (80 grams) lotus seed paste
- 5.29 ounces (150 grams) sesame paste
Seasonings
- 1/2 cup (65 grams) powdered brown sugar
- 1 ⅔ tablespoons (25 milliliters) sesame oil
- 1.18 ounces (35 grams) rendered lard
- appropriate amount of cooking oil
Cooking Directions
How to make lotus seed paste filling
- Place sesame paste in bowl. Add 1/3 cup (75 milliliters) warm water a little bit at a time. Stir until it achieves a runny consistency. Add sesame oil and stir amply.
- Add powdered brown sugar, lotus seed paste, and rendered lard to sesame paste. Stir evenly to make the cake filling.
How to make the dough and skins
- Add 0.84 cup (200 milliliters) water to glutinous rice flour. Use chopsticks to stir in one direction to create a dough with a smooth surface. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for approximately 30 minutes.
- Divide dough into long strips of equal width about 0.04 ounce (10 grams) each. Knead them into balls, and then press them flat with a rolling pin to form somewhat thick, circular dough skins.
- Tip: Do not press the dough too thin, or else the filling may spill out when frying.
Put it all together
- Add appropriate amount of cake filling from step 2 to center of dough wrapper. Use the area between your thumb and index finger to gradually pinch the edges of the wrapper closed. Place on cutting board with opening facing downward. Lightly press down on cake with palm to flatten it, thus forming the uncooked cake.
- Heat pan. Add appropriate amount of cooking oil and heat oil to medium heat. Add uncooked cakes and adjust heat to low. Fry until both sides of the cake are golden brown. Remove from pan, strain away excess oil, and serve.
The Origin of Lotus Seed Paste
Lotus seed paste was first used as a filling in moon cakes.
As the story goes, there was once a cake maker named Chen Weiqing who worked at the Lianxiang Cake Hall, which is now the Lianxiang Building. One day, as he was drinking a sweet beverage made by simmering lotus seeds, he pondered how he might use this ingredient in his cakes. In a flash of inspiration brought about by the delicate fragrance of the lotus seeds, he realized that he could use it in the filling of the cake. Afterwards, lotus seed paste became a common filling in Cantonese moon cakes.
Since then, the Lianxiang Building became known throughout the industry for its use of lotus seed paste, and the sales volume of their moon cakes skyrocketed.