Chapter 44 Eat jujube · make jujube cake

Back then in mainland China, whether it was in the south or the north, the red dates in the dried fruit were sold everywhere all year round, and they were very cheap, so they were not considered rare.Take North China as an example. As soon as the sorghum turns red and the bean pods turn yellow, all kinds of dates will be on the market one after another.The small seedless jujubes in Leling, Shandong are well-known throughout the country, let alone that. There are more than 20 varieties of jujubes in Langjiayuan in the suburbs of Beiping, such as tiger eyes, big red robes, quack dates, gourd dates, Yitianhong, Banmianjiao, Chubby, Rouge, etc. can't be clearly explained for a while.Big and round like a tiger's eye, Dahongpao is oval and sweet and crisp, Gaga jujube is pointed at both ends and has a big belly, gourd jujube is like a gourd, a twist of red is petite and bright, half of it is delicate, half red and half green is eye-catching, fat and round It is thick, with small nuclei and lots of flesh. As for the rouge, the color is naturally very red and lovely.The provinces of North China, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan are all producing areas of jujubes. The inedible jujubes are sun-dried into thousands of fruits, sold in southern China, and even exported to Southeast Asian countries, earning a lot of foreign exchange every year.

The jujube tree is a fruit tree that is not afraid of water. As the saying goes, when there is more rain and the jujube is flooded, the jujube will be harvested more abundantly.For the counties around Beiping, there are jujube trees planted everywhere on the hillsides and rivers. The fragrance of the jujube flowers is equally intoxicating and intoxicating. When the jujubes on the branches gradually turn from green to light green and emerald white, finally amber streamers, dazzling and fragrant. The secret group is more lovely when it is suitable for the wind.The large houses and small households in Beiping are either in front of the door or in the backyard. Almost every family has a few jujube trees dotted in the courtyard of the family. "It's a common thing to slip a few jujubes hanging from trees to eat (Peking people beat jujubes from trees, also known as slipping).Because the production of dates is large and the price is cheap, there are many types of food that use date paste as stuffing in mainland China. Not only are they authentic, but date paste is red date paste.The thickest kind of jujube cake is the jujube cake made of yellow rice noodles that is not peeled or peeled out of a casserole. It is the most popular food.The jujube cake made in the Yangtze River area is very delicate. The jujube paste and glutinous rice flour are kneaded and rolled into thin skins, and the middle is wrapped with sweet-scented osmanthus, or stuffed with sesame, hawthorn, walnut, and pine nuts, and filled in wooden molds of various styles. The pattern is printed, then knocked out and steamed in a pan. A piece of cake is held by a piece of rice dumpling leaf and served to serve guests.

Back then, in the dormitory in mainland China, every Lunar New Year, there was always a drawer or two of jujube cakes to be steamed. Although the dates were cheap and delicious, it took a lot of work to make.Brother Li Shoumin, the owner of Huanzhu, said: "This is a good show of the Tang Dynasty. It is only staged once a year. It is a rare opportunity, so don't miss it." Jujubes that are not suitable for eating are not selected. Pick jujubes with tight skin, thick flesh and small core, boil them in a pot under cold water until they are seven mature, take them out while they are hot, peel the skin and remove the core, then steam them in a pot until soft, and grind the jujube meat into a puree. Twenty eggs, shelled and poured into a large bowl, beat in one direction (you can beat with an egg beater now), and add twenty taels of sugar one after another.If you don't like it too sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar. Stir the sugar and eggs evenly, add two or three ounces of dry glutinous rice flour, and slowly mix them in as you beat, wait until the three are mixed, and then stir in the jujube paste one after another. The harder it is (but the longer the beating, the softer and more palatable the steamed jujube cake will be).After the jujube cake and rice slurry is well beaten, use a round box made of white iron or an aluminum container to spread peanut oil or salad oil, spread a layer of bean curd, pour the thick jujube cake into the aluminum and iron container to 80% full, and put it on top Put a few grains of walnut kernels, steam in a steamer for two hours on high heat, and you're done.In addition, pay attention to the tightness of the cage, and do not open the cage to see if the time is not up.Once the jujube cake is steamed, it can be cut into small slices to serve guests, steamed after cooling, or fried with light oil over low heat and eaten hot. It is smooth, fragrant, soft and sweet.

Which province made this kind of jujube cake, the author couldn't say it back then, my family's method was passed down from my grandmother's.In the past, red dates could be bought everywhere in Taiwan, so when the New Year’s Eve came, Shejian always steamed a piece of jujube cake to worship the ancestors.In the past two years, every old year, the Materials Bureau has imported some red dates from South Korea. The price is not too expensive.Those who like to eat jujube paste desserts may wish to try to make some by themselves.There are not many people in Taiwan who can make this kind of jujube cake. Except for the family of Huang Jilu’s in-laws, I heard that Jia Qin’s (Jingde) mansion would also steam this kind of jujube cake before his death, and said that this method is good. The hometown flavor of his old man, I think Mr. Jia said so, must have its own origin, but it is a pity that Long Guang has long been dying.The new year begins, and the earth returns to spring. Friends who like to eat, try making a jujube cake during the spring break. I think everyone is tired of eating cream cakes. Let’s eat a piece of pure Chinese jujube cake. It will definitely have a new taste.