Puffy Square Rice Cake
A traditional pastry from Jiangsu with a soft, tender crumb, pure white color, neatly shaped, and a sweet, mellow flavor.
Ingredients
glutinous rice flour
450 g
non-glutinous rice flour
300 g
red bean paste filling
250 g
fine granulated sugar (dissolved in water)
300 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Combine the glutinous rice flour and non-glutinous rice flour together. Dissolve the fine granulated sugar in water, then add the sugar water to the rice flours in batches and knead until evenly mixed. Let the dough rest for 1–2 minutes.
2
Step 2
Take a square cake wooden frame or another suitable container. Fill it with the rested rice flour mixture and flatten it out. Lay a piece of steamer cloth over the top and place a bottom plate underneath. Flip the wooden frame over, remove the original bottom wooden grid, and place the red bean paste filling into the recessed groove running down the center of the rice flour. Cover the filling with another thin layer of rice flour, then use a long ruler to scrape the surface flat. Gently press down to compact the layers, follow the grooves on the movable frame, and slice through with a sharp knife to create individual raw cake blanks.
3
Step 3
Place the raw blanks together with the frame into a steamer and steam for 25 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the steamer, take off the wooden frame, and gently loosen the square rice cakes with a knife before serving.
