Tung Leaf-wrapped Rice Cake

Tung Leaf-wrapped Rice Cake is a distinctive snack from Xiangxi. It is made by grinding glutinous rice and indica rice into powder, mixing with fragrant wormwood and an appropriate amount of water to form round cakes. It can be filled with red bean paste or soybean flour, or alternatively with sour chili and diced tofu, or salted vegetable and diced cured pork. The cakes are wrapped in clean tung tree leaves and steamed until cooked. Eaten while hot, they are sticky, fragrant, and taste wonderful! Tung leaf-wrapped rice cake, also known as tung leaf baba, pao ba, or pig ear cake, is a popular food in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, western Hunan, and northeastern Yunnan, traditionally consumed during the Zhongyuan Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival, though it can be enjoyed at other times as well.

The ingredients for tung leaf-wrapped rice cake include short-grain rice, indica rice, corn, wheat, and more. Although the ingredients vary, fermentation is required for all. Fermentation methods differ: some use porridge with dry ingredients, while others let the mixture ferment directly on its own. Once fermentation is complete, the mixture is wrapped in fresh tung leaves of just the right tenderness. When wrapping, the bottom of the tung leaf is rolled into a funnel shape, the mixture is placed inside, and the top is folded over, resulting in a shape that is pointed at one end and flat at the other. Finally, they are steamed in a bamboo steamer, and when cooked, they have a unique, refreshing aroma.

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn