Gluttonous Rice Cakes

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memories revolve around food， an experience that transcends culture. Be it hot dogs or dumplings， certain tastes and smells are always ready to trigger nostalgic moods， providing us with a sense of safety and security in the turbulent world we now live in.

“Being abroad， I still miss my hometown snack mibaba（米粑粑）. An old lady used to sell this particular kind of rice cake in pairs around the street corner when I was little， only for 50 Chinese fen a pair，” a Wuhan native recalls with affection. “In its sweetness， you can also fi nd a hint of sour. I drool just thinking about it.” She and many others search longingly to recreate this delicate dish in their own home. Usually made of rice and glutinous rice wine， this sweet southern snack appeared on breakfast tables around the province. This mibaba is defi nitely a down to earth folk snack， far from the pretentions of cooking programs； even the rice used is meant to be the crushed leftovers in a rice bag. Yet， as it migrated from street peddler stalls to restaurant menus， it lost its importance as a home breakfast staple.

The main ingredient is the most common food found in the south： rice. Since the plain along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River is “a land of fi sh and rice” （鱼米之乡 y%m@ zh～ xi`ng）， it is only natural for rice to have a huge presence in the local diet. With this ordinary ingredient， the locals manage to incorporate it in a wide range of dishes. Rice can be ground into rice fl our and made into rice noodles or a thin piece of pan cake， and it can even be fried or baked to make crunchy 锅巴 （gu4ba）―a favorite with kids. In a similar way， the rice in mibaba is fi rst soaked and softened and then ground with water into a white， smooth rice milk （米浆 m@ji`ng）.

Glutinous rice is even more versatile； think of sweet dumplings or New Year rice cakes. In the case of mibaba， the glutinous rice wine is just what we need. Called by names such as 醪糟 （l1oz`o）， 酒酿 （ji^ni3ng）， or 甜酒（ti1nji^）， glutinous rice wine combines steamed glutinous rice with distiller’s yeast to form the basis of many Chinese desserts. Glutinous rice is believed to be mild nourishment benefi cial to the spleen and stomach in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is recommended for a number of ailments. The medical effect of a brew of the glutinous rice wine is even stronger. It is said that the alcohol helps nourish the liver， lungs， kidneys， circulation， and even the skin.

Making mibaba from scratch is relatively easy but a little time-consuming. In the old days， families had no problems waiting for the rice to soften and paste to ferment. In this sense， today’s foodies may just have to live with delayed gratifi cation. Just remember： the longer you wait， the sweeter it will be. Good things come to those who wait. - LIU JUE （刘珏）