Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Yutao was in charge of making the fire, while Shen Yu put the steamer on the stand, soaked the cage cloth in water, wrung it out, and spread it on the steamer. He added a little water to the rhubarb rice flour and stirred it into wet powder. He sprinkled a thick layer evenly on the cage cloth, covered it with a lid and steamed it until golden brown. He then sprinkled some candied dates on it, covered it with another layer of rhubarb rice flour and steamed it again until there were three layers of rice flour and two layers of candied dates in between. He covered it with a lid and steamed the rice until it was cooked through.

By the time it was done steaming, the whole kitchen was filled with sweet fragrance. Yu Cheng had already been waiting at the kitchen door, eagerly.

Open the lid of the steamer, lift up the steamer, turn the steamed glutinous rice cake upside down on the greased chopping board, cut it into pieces with a knife. When eating, you can pour honey on it or sprinkle it with snowflake sugar powder.

People of this era prefer oil, salt and sweet. After the glutinous rice cake was steamed, Shen Yu smelled very sweet. When it was time to eat it, she took a bite and felt that it was already very sweet. However, the three Lis sprinkled thick snowflake sugar powder on the glutinous rice cake before eating it. Li wanted to sprinkle some on Shen Yu's glutinous rice cake, but Shen Yu quickly took the plate of glutinous rice cake and dodged it, smiling: "Mom, I won't add the snowflake sugar powder. The glutinous rice cake alone is also very sweet. I'm satisfied with just this one piece."

Seeing that she really didn't want to add it, Li had to give up. She asked in surprise, "Didn't you like eating sticky rice cake with snowflake sugar the most before? Why did you only eat such a small piece today?"

Shen Yu casually found an excuse and said, "Maybe I was standing next to them when the cakes were being steamed today, and maybe I got smoked. The smell was very sweet, and I couldn't eat it after smelling it for too long."

Li was a little nervous after hearing this, and asked Shen Yu worriedly if she felt uncomfortable. Shen Yu saw that this was a bit exaggerated, so he tried to make up for it, pouting like a spoiled child: "It's all because mother loves me too much. I had so many milk cakes and candies at noon, so I'm not hungry at all now."

Seeing that her face was rosy and she was smiling, and she did not look unwell, Li felt relieved.

I set up the stall early the next morning and sure enough, there were fewer customers than usual. Some of them were impatient and had already rushed to the temple to burn incense and make offerings.

Those who come to buy food usually choose sweet food.

Shen Yu first wrapped the red bean paste buns and steamed them, and then began to make honey cakes and candied date cakes.

Remove the cloth covering the basin and press it with your hand. It feels soft like a balloon filled with water, plump and elastic.

Shen Yu nodded with satisfaction. The dough had risen very well, and it would be soft and fluffy when steamed in this state.

She applied some oil on her hands, and then on the dough board. She took the dough out of the basin and put it on the dough board. Because the basin wall was coated with some oil during the rising process, it did not stick to the basin when she took it out. She pressed the dough lightly to release the air, and rolled it into a white and plump dough. After arranging it, she did not roll it up, but gently rolled it into a thick round cake with a rolling pin. The size was slightly smaller than the steamer. She lifted it up with her hands and carefully placed it in the steamer with pine needles as the bottom. After arranging the shape, she evenly sprinkled green plum and red fruit shreds on it, and sprinkled some pine nuts and walnuts. The dough of the honey cake was ready.

The dough for making candied date cake is similar to that for making honey cake, except that no powdered sugar is added during the second kneading. Instead, it is rolled into a thinner cake when making the cake base before steaming. After placing the first layer of cake in the steamer, spread a thin layer of candied date paste on the cake base, and then cover it with another layer of thin cake. In this way, three layers of cakes are stacked up, and a whole pickled, sweet, fragrant and translucent honey date is placed on the top, and then it can be steamed.

Following the same procedure, the dough for the four baskets of sweet cakes is ready. The red bean paste buns being steamed on the stove are also cooked and can be taken down.

Because the red bean paste and candied dates fillings were wrapped in dough and steamed in a spacious open space at the entrance of the market, the sweet aroma was not obvious during the steaming. However, after the four baskets of sweet cakes were put on the stove, a sweet aroma wafted out in the air. Shen Yu didn't even need to shout to sell them, people followed the smell and came. The customers who had been queuing at the cake stall to buy the sweet cakes with fruit fillings also changed their minds after smelling the smell and ran to the Shen family bun stall to queue up.

The steaming time of the sweet cake is a little longer than that of the buns. As the guests wait in line, the sweetness becomes more and more tempting. Someone couldn't help but ask, "Miss Shen, what do you add to your sweet cake? Why is it so sweet and fragrant? My wife also made sweet cakes, but they are not as fragrant as this one. How do you make it?"

Shen Yu smiled faintly and said, "This sweet cake is just made with some sugar and candied dates. Why should customers bother making it themselves? If you want to eat it, just buy a few pieces."

The people around him also echoed: "Yes, yes, this steamed cake is not something that everyone can make well. The buns made by Miss Shen are so delicious. I can tell from the smell of this sweet cake that it must be right. If you want to eat it, it's best to come and buy it. Don't make it yourself."

The man also laughed and said, "That's true. I will definitely buy a few more pieces later. My wife likes sweets."

As he spoke, Shen Yu asked Yutao to put out the fire under the stove.

After the residual heat had lasted for a while, the steamed cake took shape in the steamer. Shen Yu then padded his hands with a cloth towel and together with Li, lifted the steamer onto the clean dough board and opened the steamers one by one.

The heat dissipated, and the honey cake was slightly milky white. The shredded green plums and red fruits on the cake became more colorful after steaming. The whole basket of cake looked soft and light, as beautiful and sweet as flowers. Shen Yu used a knife to cut the honey cake into even triangles in the steamer. Beautiful honeycomb-shaped holes could be seen on the cut surface, which was the origin of the honey cake.

The candied date cake is cut into even rectangles. From the side you can see the distinct layers of candied date filling, one layer of milky white and another layer of brown red. On top are translucent red candied dates, exuding a sweet aroma.

Shen Yu first scooped out a piece of each with a small flat shovel, cut it into small pieces with a knife, and placed it on a large flat plate. She prepared some thin bamboo sticks on the side of the plate, and brought it to the front of the stall with a smile, saying crisply: "Although you all came here for the fragrance, you still have to taste it to know whether the cake is really sweet and whether it suits your taste. Honey sugar cake and candied date cake are both eight cents a piece. Try it before you buy it. Everyone, try it first."

Everyone was surprised. They didn't expect that they could taste it for free. They picked up bamboo sticks and picked up a piece of sweet cake to taste.

There was an impatient customer who shouted loudly after finishing his meal: "This honey cake is delicious, give me four pieces."

Another customer who tried the candied date cake said, "This candied date cake is still sweeter. I want five pieces to take home."

In just a few moments, the four baskets of sweet cakes were eaten up by the customers in line. Those who were waiting in line behind them could only buy red bean paste and candied date buns, and consoled themselves by saying, "This red bean paste and candied date bun is also sweet and fragrant, and is cheaper than the sweet cakes. This is better."

As soon as these words were spoken, those customers who had originally come just for the sweet cakes, who wanted to leave after seeing that the cakes were sold out, turned back. In a short while, all the red bean paste and candied date buns for the day were also sold out.