Making Glutinous Paste

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Updated: 2011-07-15

The residents in Pingnan in the Mandarin Duck Creek township have carried on a tradition of making glutinous paste. The tradition welcomes the advent of the New Year and also foreshadows the later approach of Spring Festival.

First, let’s talk about making the glutinous rice cake, shall we? Dip the glutinous rice into water. Use bamboo to steam it until done, and then use stone mortars for a pestle and mortar. The stone mortar is square outside and round inside. The deep, semi-spherical Wooden pestles are made of one thick hardwood handle one meter long in size that is fastened to the side center. When cooked rice is put into the mortar, young men rush for a pestle and mortar. Soft as the rice is, it is very hard for the pestle to do its work.

The more the pestle, is used, the stickier the rice. A pestle and mortar usually allow the rice to reduce until the grains touch closely together. At this point, you can start to make glutinous rice cake. There are two approaches. One way to make glutinous rice cake is to pinch it into a small flat. The other way involves mixing powder-like spices with sugar, cooked peanuts, sesame and soya beans, or grinding cooked peas mixed with salt. It’s then put in the pot and transferred to the table to share with families or guests. This is an indispensible food for the traditional Chinese New Year. Eating glutinous rice means there will be better luck in the coming year.