Tian Pei Zi (Sweet Fermented Oat Dessert)
This is after Lanzhou Ramen! Fresh sweet sake sweets fermented with oats
Description
The traditional dessert Lanzhou locals unconditionally consume after eating beef noodles. Made by steaming oats (Yan Mai) and fermenting them with distiller's yeast (Jiu Qu). Extremely similar to Japanese Amazake, but features the 'popping, chewy' texture of whole oats and a highly refreshing tartness.
Restaurants serving Tian Pei Zi (Sweet Fermented Oat Dessert)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Whole oats(Yan Mai)
- Jiu Qu(Distiller's yeast/Koji)
- Cold water
- (Milk tea optional)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe & Trends]
- (The Magic of Fermentation) Wash the main ingredient, whole grain 'Oats (Yan Mai)'. Steam them in water until soft.
- Cool the steamed oats, then evenly mix in 'Jiu Qu' (distiller's yeast/koji), the traditional Chinese fermentation starter.
- Place in a ceramic crock (or sealed container) and ferment in a warm place for 2-
- days.
- As fermentation progresses, the oat starches break down into sugars, creating 'Tian Pei Zi', possessing intense sweetness, a faint alcoholic aroma, and a refreshing tartness.
- (Serving Style) Place a few tablespoons of these fermented oats in a bowl, pour in cold water (or ice water) to adjust sweetness, and eat with a spoon.
- [Latest Trend]: Recently, tea stands have triggered a massive boom by adding Tian Pei Zi into 'Milk Tea' or 'Green Tea'. It is enthusiastically supported by youth as a chewy, healthy alternative to Boba.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Pure sugar sweetness and faint alcohol aroma born from fermented Koji
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Add boiled pearl barley to Japanese Amazake)
Pairing
Lanzhou Beef Noodles(To extinguish the heat after spicy noodles)
Trivia
[Trivia] Fermentation is stopped at the initial stage, so you won't get drunk (ABV < 1%). To Lanzhou locals, it is said that 'Summer without Tian Pei Zi is like winter without heating'. It is a dessert engraved in their souls.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Drink the cold, sweet liquid into which the juices have dissolved, while using a spoon to scoop the oats sunk at the bottom. The 'popping, wildly chewy' elasticity of the oats is delightful, perfectly cooling down a body heated by ramen from the core.
Allergen
Wheat (Oat allergy caution)