STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PICTURES (METHOD 1)

Although rice cake is very popular all over China, the texture varies from province to province. The ratio between rice and glutinous rice determines the texture. Some places use 100% rice, so the texture is firm, a little bit bouncy, and very slippery. This is more for savory recipes. Some places use all glutinous rice, the texture is sticky, gooey, and stretchy. This is more for dessert.

Some places like to do a mix, which is what we are making today. You can play around with the ratio to find the best texture that you like.

Combine 100 grams of glutinous rice flour and 300 grams of rice flour. Pour in 300 grams of room temperature water. Stir it at the same time. Go in with your hands to form it into a dough.

Divide it into 6 parts. Just go with your eyes, don’t need to use a scale. Flatten them so they are not too thick. Place a wet cheesecloth in the steamer to prevent sticking. You can also use parchment paper. It doesn’t matter if they touch each other.

Place the steamer above a pot that is filled with water. Turn the heat to high. When you see steam coming out, switch the heat to medium and count the time for 20 minutes.

Remove the steamer off the stove. Let it cool with the lid covered until Lukewarm. Lightly oil your cutting board to prevent sticking. The next step is to manipulate the dough. You want to do this while it is still warm. If it gets cold, it becomes really difficult to work with. You can pound it or knead it to develop the texture. The more you work with the dough, the gooier it will be. If this is the first time you are making this, you should take a small bite before and after. You will feel a big difference in texture. It gets kind of messy and it does take lots of labor. If you have a KitchenAid, that will be the best. Although you have to use the spatula to help to scrape down the sides but still, it is a lifesaver for my arthritis wrist.

You will know it is done when the dough becomes nice and smooth. There are no lumps anymore.

Divide it into 8 even pieces. Roll it into long even thin logs. If your rice cake is sticky, you can apply a little more oil to the surface. Mine are pretty good so I am not going to brush any. Cut them into long cylinders.

Freshly made rice cake is very delicious. Simply dip it in sugar, honey, or sweeten condense milk. Yummy - nice and chewy but not too sticky.

You can also roll the dough into 2 fatter logs. They are still very soft when freshly made. If you cut them now, they will stick to your knife really bad. You have to put them in a sealed container. Chill in the fridge overnight. Then you can slice it diagonally into 1/4 of an inch thick pieces. This is the shape that I like to use for savory recipes such as stir fry rice cake, which I will share in the future.

This is a very basic recipe, there is no salt or sugar, so it is suitable for almost any recipe that asks for rice cake. Rice cake can stay good in the fridge for 1 week and 1 month in the freezer. If you freeze it for too long, it is still edible, but it will start cracking.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PICTURES (METHOD 2)

The ratio is the same - 100 grams of glutinous rice and 300 grams of jasmine rice. You just Rinse the rice with water to remove the dust. No need to rub and wash it until the water is clear. Soak this with clean water overnight or until you can crush the grains with your fingers.

Drain the rice and transfer it into a blender. Add just enough water to blend until smooth. I used about 3/4 cup. If you use a lot of water, that is fine too. It will just take a lot more effort to squeeze the water out later.

Pour the rice puree into a fine cheesecloth. For this method, I can’t give you an exact water ratio. You have to do your best to squeeze. It will take some time and quite a lot of force. When you feel like you cannot get any more water out and the whole dough is solid, you are good to go. The rest of the steps are the same as if you were using rice flour.