Siaulun Fried Dumplings Introduction
Most residents of Xialun engage in farming, and due to the lack of snacks in rural areas during earlier times, Wang Longjie (born in 1946) thought of using locally produced rice to make rice cakes for sale. He set up a stall in the market to sell fried rice cakes, and surprisingly, he continued this for over 30 years. In 2009, due to his old age, it was taken over by his son Wang Jiahé (born in 1980). The rice cakes are made the afternoon before, with the process as follows: soaking the rice for 3 hours, grinding it into rice paste, adding seasonings and a small amount of sugar, stirring it, and pouring it into a steamer to be cooked for 6 hours. Afterward, it is removed from the pot and cooled with a fan for 3 hours before being stored in the refrigerator. The freshly cooked cakes have a higher moisture content, and putting them in the fridge helps reduce water content. Since there are no additional ingredients in the cakes, locals refer to them as "Qing Guo" (clear rice cakes). The next morning, the Qing Guo is sent to the market, sliced, and then fried on both sides in a pan until golden brown. It is then removed, cut into pieces, and packed for takeaway. Along with the takeaway, a small packet of dipping sauce is provided. The dipping sauce is made by blending garlic into a paste with a blender, and then bringing soy sauce to a boil before mixing in the garlic paste, enhancing the flavor.
