02x09 - Rice Cake

[bunniefuu]

Rice is the common staple
in Chinese cuisine.

It's very versatile.

It's prepared in different forms
in various places

and it presents a different taste.

This is a breakfast
exclusive to the people of Yunnan.

With a rich aroma of rice,

it's soft and not hard to chew.

While one continues to chew it,

he's awakened to a brand new day.
RICE CAKE WITH PORK
This food made from rice is called
"Er."

Even though they come in various forms
and the flavors are diverse,

they have the same texture.
STEWED RICE CAKE
RICE CAKE

One kilogram of rice can produce
three kilograms of rice noodles,


yet it only produces . kilograms
of rice cake.


Higher density gives the rice cake
a longer lasting satiety effect.


It also brings a chewy texture
in the mouths of the people of Yunnan.

YUNNAN DALI, BAOFENG VILLAGE
DUAN JIANHUA

At eight o'clock in the morning,
the machinery is started.

Duan Jianhua and his wife will prepare

the kilograms of rice
that's needed today.


The use of machinery
increases the efficiency of grinding,


but the key step still have to rely
on the force from the hands.


Mix the rice powder with water
with a one-to-one ratio.

Use both hands to continually mix them

in order for the rice mixture
to become even and sticky.


When it sticks to the hand
for five seconds,


that's the best condition
of the rice mixture for making rice cake.


This is the conclusion his wife made
after years of experience.


Rapid heating of the mixture
forms thin and soft strips.


There's still one final step
to the transformation of rice.

YUNNAN KUNMING, GONGDU REGION

Although mechanized production
became widespread,

in some places,

one can still find the trace
of traditionally hand-made products.

DING ZHILIN

The -year-old Ding Zhilin is one of
the few rice cake masters in Kunming


who uses the traditional way
of production.


He doesn't rely on any machinery
to produce rice cake.

It's all completed by hand.

Unlike Duan Jianhua
who directly prepares the rice,


the method Ding Zhilin uses
requires more time.

Rice is soaked in water for two hours

and steamed for minutes over water

in order to complete
the preparation of raw materials.


At this time, in the hands
of the two rice cake masters,

the rice has transformed

into a different shape,
awaiting the next step.

Natural beeswax prevents stickiness.

A duel is about to take place.

After five minutes of continuous kneading,

the rice's texture has started to change.

The boundaries of the lines
slowly fade away

to form a dense and tight structure.

Kneading it into the size of the palm

transforms it into
the rice cake of Yunnan people.

Resilient with a firm texture,

the rice cakes are easier
to be stored and processed.


On the other side, Ding Zhilin's rice
is already percent cooked.


The rice maintains
a certain level of hardness

and remains to stick to one another.
The rice is cooked. Let's process it.

Next, Ding Zhilin and his staff
are about to show us


the rice cake making process
which is on the brink of extinction.


Eight people are required to start
this -kilogram wood pounder.


With tacit coordination,
a pound is performed per second.

Three minutes of continuous pounding

makes the amylopectin molecules
in the rice connect more securely.

The rice loses its shape.

Its texture becomes evener.

As compared to Duan Jianhua's
rice cake which is kneaded into form,


Ding Zhilin's rice cake
is more elastic and firmer.

It's also more chewy to the taste.

Making rice into rice cake
is only the beginning.


When rice cake enters
the Yunnan people's gourmet world,

that's when its world has truly begun.

The hot flame drives out
the residual moisture in the rice cake.

The starch expands in heat

and releases an intense grainy aroma.

This method of grilling with charcoal

is called by Yunnan people
as "roasted rice cake."

After grilling,

the rice cake presents different textures
on the inside from the outside.


Crispy on the outside,
it's sticky on the inside.


Peas are ground into a fine powder
and boiled into a paste.

It's salty and smooth.

It's Yunnan people's unique choice
to pair it with rice cake


that's crispy on the outside
and soft on the inside.

RICE CAKE WITH PEAS POWDER
Under degrees Celsius of hot oil,

the rice cake presents
a more dazzling side.


The high temperature
brings about a burnt aroma.


The moisture from vegetables
begins to soften the rice cake


and produces a thick sauce
at the same time.

STIR-FRIED RICE CAKE

The stir-fried rice cake
is smooth on the outside

with a firm taste.

It needs to be carefully chewed

in order to experience
its wonderful taste.


Directly cooking the rice cake
in the water


brings a completely
different taste experience.

Slice rice cake into strips.

Yunnan people called it
as "rice cakes strips."


The starch structure
of the rice cake strips


forms a colloid that tends to be stable
and can be cooked for a long time.


However, Yunnan people
prefer a simple taste.

Give the rice cake strips a quick boil.

Once it's softened,
the moisture comes out.


With pork bone soup
cooked for two hours as the base,


the rice cake strips are soaked
in natural animal fat.

The soup is clear with a rich taste.

Add a spoonful of fried
savory meat topping


and it becomes a bowl of authentic
Dali Xizhou Rice Cake Strips.


A grain of rice experiences thousands of
pounding and transforms into a rice cake.


It was originally hardtack made by
their ancestors to achieve satiety.


Now, it became one of the symbols
of Yunnan's flavor.


Between the softness
and firmness of rice cake


perhaps there lies
some hidden genetic code


for the civilization
that started with rice cultivation.