At the table
Eat a small slice at a time and chew well. Remove any paper or steaming cloth. Firmer cake may be steamed again to soften it.
Contains walnuts. The rice cake can be chewy; check for any remaining jujube stones.
This version uses a little corn oil on the steaming cloth. Other recipes may add lard; confirm the actual fats and additions rather than assuming all Chongming cake is vegetarian or vegan.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Rice-flour proportions and additions vary. Some versions include lard, candied fruit or beans.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Sweet rice with fruity jujubes and nutty walnuts.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Soft, compact and lightly grainy, with a chewy rice texture.
- How it’s made
- Moisten the two rice flours with sugar and water, mix in jujubes and walnuts, then add the mixture in stages while steaming. Cool enough to slice.
Rice-flour proportions and additions vary. Some versions include lard, candied fruit or beans.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Shanghai.
About this regional connection
Shanghai: Chongmingregionaldate-walnutversion.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有崇明糕吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A New Year cake from Chongming
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
On Chongming, steaming and sharing cake is a Lunar New Year custom. Cake, 糕 (gāo), sounds like high, 高, expressing a wish for progress. This jujube-and-walnut version differs from the bean-paste-layered songgao also found in Shanghai.