Wang hands over some steamed cakes to a regular customer. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Wang Zhixiang prepares rice for grinding. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

Over the Chinese New Year holidays cooks in Xuhang town, Jiading district, were extra busy making their traditional steamed cakes. These deftly shaped little treats are usually eaten at the beginning of the New Year.

In Chinese they are called gao, which sounds like the Chinese word for "high." Eating gao at this time of year is believed by some to make the year ahead very propitious.

Wang carefully turns the rice into flour on his stone mill. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

The traditional dish has traditional implements and containers. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

Wang Zhixiang is one of the second generation of Xuhang town's steamed cake cooks. Now in his 70s, Wang is still strong and fit. To make his steamed cakes, he first double washes rice in well water before grinding the grains into flour on an old-fashioned stone mill. Flour made this traditional way, the cooks say, is finer and much tastier than machine-made flour. The cooks later take this flour and make a dough with it using water and adding coloring and flavors. After kneading the dough into the shapes needed, the cakes are placed in steam buckets and cooked. The intensity of the fire at this time is crucial to the taste and texture of the cakes.

Wang adds his special ingredients. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

 

Wang's family members wrap steamed cakes at home. Photo: Yang Hui/GT

It's a low profit, labor-intensive business and few people nowadays are training as steam cake cooks. Xuhang town is preparing to apply to have this listed as an intangible culture heritage to promote this traditional craft.

Global Times