Xialun Fried Snacks Introduction
Most residents of Shialun are engaged in agriculture. In the early days, there were not many snacks available in the rural area, so Wang Long-jie (born in 1946) thought of using locally produced rice to make rice cakes for sale, and he started selling deep-fried rice cakes at the market. Unexpectedly, he continued this for over 30 years until 2009, when, due to aging, his son Wang Chia-ho (born in 1980) took over the business. The rice cakes need to be prepared the afternoon before; the method is as follows: soak the glutinous rice for 3 hours, grind it into a rice batter, then add seasonings and a small amount of sugar. After mixing, pour it into a steamer and cook for 6 hours. Once done, take it out and cool it with a fan for 3 hours before storing it in the refrigerator. The freshly steamed rice cake has more moisture, and refrigerating it helps draw out excess water. Since no other ingredients are added, locals refer to it as "qingguo." The next morning, the rice cakes are taken to the market, sliced, and then pan-fried on both sides until golden brown before being packaged for takeout. A small packet of dipping sauce is provided with the takeout; the sauce is made by pureeing garlic in a blender, then boiling soy sauce and mixing it with the garlic puree to enhance the flavor.
