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Huanggui shizi bing (Xi'an persimmon cakes)
黄桂柿子饼: soft persimmon dough filled with osmanthus sugar, walnuts and sesame, pan-fried crisp
ChineseEvery autumn, when Lintong's soft persimmons ripen outside Xi'an, griddles across the Muslim Quarter fill with these orange cakes. The dough is little more than ripe persimmon pulp and flour, so it fries crisp and caramelised outside while staying chewy and sticky inside, and the filling of brown sugar, walnuts, sesame and dried osmanthus melts into a fragrant syrup. They are bought hot in a paper sleeve as an afternoon snack. They contain wheat and walnuts. Chef's tip: use persimmons so ripe they feel like a water balloon; firm ones make the dough taste furry and astringent.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz very ripe soft persimmonspulp only, about 3
- 7 oz glutinous rice flour
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
For the filling
- 2 ⅛ oz brown sugar
- 1 ⅜ oz walnutsfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp dried osmanthus flowers
- 1 tbsp plain flourtoasted in a dry pan until beige
To fry
- 4 tbsp neutral oil
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Scoop the pulp from 10 ½ oz very ripe soft persimmons, discarding the skin and any seeds, and mash or blend until smooth.
5 minStep 2: Mix the pulp with 7 oz glutinous rice flour and 2 ⅛ oz plain flour to a soft dough that no longer sticks to your hands; add a spoonful more glutinous flour if needed. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Mix 2 ⅛ oz brown sugar, 1 ⅜ oz walnuts, 2 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, 1 tsp dried osmanthus flowers and 1 tbsp plain flour. The toasted flour stops the sugar running out when it melts.
Step 4: Divide the dough into 10 balls. Flatten each into a cup in your palm, add a heaped spoon of filling, pinch the edges together firmly and press into a 1.5 cm-thick disc, seam side down.
15 minStep 5: Heat 4 tbsp neutral oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Fry the cakes for 4–5 minutes on each side, until deep golden and crisp, and the cakes puff slightly and feel soft when pressed. Common mistake: frying too hot; the outside burns before the sticky rice inside cooks and the sugar melts.
10 minStep 6: Drain on paper and cool for 5 minutes before eating: the filling is molten and very hot.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does huanggui shizi bing (Xi'an persimmon cakes) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
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