Putian Red Rice Cakes 红团
Putian Red Rice Cakes is featured among the local specialties of Fujian.
Putian hong tuan has a coloured glutinous-rice skin shaped in a mould before steaming. The official recipe describes two common fillings: a sweetened sticky-rice mixture and cooked mung bean worked into a cohesive paste. The skin is made with glutinous-rice flour, warm water and food colouring, wrapped around the filling, then pressed into a wooden mould. This gives each cake a flat base, a gently domed surface and a decorative relief rather than the crisp crust of a baked pastry.
Flavour, texture & local variations
Small leaf liners support the cakes during steaming. The finished surface is glossy and red, and the texture is soft and sticky. The source connects hong tuan with local celebrations and gift-giving; its red colour and round form are part of that festive presentation. The illustration uses the mung-bean filling and a floral pattern, one example within the broader range of moulded designs. When ordering, distinguish the filling as well as the cake's size. Two cakes with the same red exterior can offer a different interior texture depending on whether they contain rice or beans.
How it is prepared
Filled rice dough is moulded, placed on leaves and steamed until glossy and soft.
Ingredients to check
Glutinous-rice flour, food colouring, and a sweetened sticky-rice or mung-bean filling; leaf liners for steaming.
Ordering this dish
Ask whether the filling is mung bean or sticky rice; the illustration shows mung bean, not a guarantee about every red cake.
More dishes to compare
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Fresh rice-batter sheets are scraped into a savory soup. Try it as a light Fuzhou breakfast.
Sources & reading
Identity and the described preparation reviewed against the linked government culinary sources on 9 September 2026. The illustrated preparation is a documented example; vendors may use different ingredients and presentation. Ordering suggestions are editorial guidance. No recipe testing, exclusive origin, current availability or dietary certification is claimed.
Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.