Featured recipe

Hakka mochi

Sticky rice with peanut powder

At Hakka weddings, temple festivals and housewarmings in Hsinchu and Miaoli, an aunt stands over a big bowl of warm, glossy rice dough and squeezes it out between thumb and forefinger, dropping each little ball straight into sweet ground peanuts for the guests. The dough is soft, stretchy and barely sweet; the peanut sugar coats it in a fragrant, slightly gritty layer. In Beipu old town it's sold the same way to visitors, with black sesame as a second coating. People often grind the peanuts too long and end up with peanut butter, which clumps instead of dusting. Chef's tip: oil your hands and the bowl lightly before pinching, and eat the mochi the same day, while it's still pillowy.

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