Tian Pan Zi (Northwest Sweet Sticky Rice)
Gem-like glutinous rice cake! Exquisite sweetness to decorate the banquet
Description
A brilliant traditional dessert unconditionally served at the end of Hui Muslim weddings and banquets in the Northwest (Gansu/Shaanxi/Ningxia). Steamed glutinous rice is beautifully decorated with dried fruits like jujube, walnuts, and raisins. Finally, it is drenched heavily in boiling hot honey (or sugar syrup).
Restaurants serving Tian Pan Zi (Northwest Sweet Sticky Rice)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
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
- Glutinous rice
- Dried jujube
- Raisins
- Walnuts
- Goji berries
- Sugar
- Maltose syrup(or Honey)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Sticky Rice) Soak glutinous rice for half a day. Steam until fully cooked. Mix the hot rice with sugar and 'veg oil (or lamb/beef fat)' for depth and gloss.
- (Artistic Decoration) Lightly oil the inside of a round-bottomed bowl.
- Beautifully arrange dried jujubes (Hong Zao), raisins, walnuts, and goji berries in 'floral or geometric patterns' at the bottom.
- Pack the steamed sticky rice over them, pressing firmly with a spoon.
- Add another layer of fruit, seal with more rice.
- Place the entire bowl in a steamer for
- mins until the fruit sweetness permeates the rice.
- [Finish]: Place a flat plate over the bowl and invert it to demold (revealing a beautiful, jewel-like rice dome).
- Drown completely in boiling hot honey (or maltose/osmanthus syrup) to serve.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense sweet aroma of jujube and honey depth、ハチミツのコク
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Top Japanese Shiratama mochi with nuts and honey)
Pairing
Ba Bao Cha (Eight Treasures Tea) / Chinese Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] Also called 'Ba Bao Fan' and eaten nationwide, but the Northwest version is considered the most aromatic and luxurious, as it abundantly utilizes premium Silk Road dried fruits (walnuts, Xinjiang raisins).
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Break it apart with a spoon like a cake. The 'chewy' sticky rice, 'crunchy' nuts, and intense syrup sweetness unify in your mouth. The ultimate dessert that gently heals a stomach exhausted from eating heavy, greasy mutton dishes.
Allergen
Walnuts (Tree nuts)