Ingredients for Shaanxi Zhen (Jing) Cake: 500g glutinous rice, approximately 200g red dates, just enough water to cover the rice, sugar to taste, brown sugar to taste.
Home cooking steps for Shaanxi Zhen (Jing) Cake:
1. Soak the glutinous rice in clear water for 3-4 hours until the rice grains are soft and can be easily crushed by hand.
2. Soak the red dates in cold water for 2 hours, or in hot water for 1 hour.
3. Rinse the soaked glutinous rice thoroughly and drain the water.
4. Add brown sugar; if using a solid block of brown sugar, dissolve a small amount in water and pour it over the rice. Remember to use a small quantity. If using loose brown sugar, you can directly spread it over the rice.
5. Add water to cover the rice by about the height of a small finger joint, roughly 1 to 2 centimeters. Add more water for softer texture, especially for children, or less for a chewier preference.
6. Add an appropriate amount of white sugar.
7. Layer the soaked red dates on top, and I also added a few candied dates, as children love them.
8. Place a steamer basket in an electric pressure cooker (fill with more water) and steam for 1 hour, using the steaming function twice, which totals to 1 hour. Afterward, do not remove the pot, release the pressure, or unplug the power supply; let it stay warm overnight.
9. In the morning, use a spoon to mash the dates into a paste. After a night of steaming, they will be very easy to mash.
10. Enjoy! No need to add more sugar, as the taste and color are particularly excellent.
11. The rice is more popular than the dates, being fragrant, sticky, chewy, and full of date aroma. I layered two layers of dates this time, which felt a bit too much, so I will reduce it next time.
Cooking tips for Shaanxi Zhen (Jing) Cake:
1. Soak the glutinous rice in clear water until the rice is thoroughly soft.
2. Adding brown sugar is for a better color, but since brown sugar is not sweet enough, you can add some white sugar. Of course, brown sugar can also be omitted.
3. If prepared at night, there is no need to remove the pot from the stove (except in summer), and it will still be warm in the morning, utilizing the residual heat of the pot to enhance the aroma and texture of the cake. Cold cake has a more chewy texture but is not suitable for the elderly and children.
4. After soaking in cold water, it is best to briefly blanch the dates in boiling water for a sweeter taste.
5. Finally, be sure to add hot water to the rice; if you add cold water, it is fine, just steam for an additional half an hour.
Cooking delicious dishes requires skills, and each of my dishes has its own little trick. You can search for ‘Shaanxi Snacks’ to directly view my recipes!
