Dandong Pounded Rice Cake 丹东打糕

Dandong Pounded Rice Cake (丹东打糕) is the dagao of the Korean ethnic group (朝鲜族) as made in Dandong (丹东), Liaoning: glutinous rice steamed and then pounded into a cake. People's Daily describes it as a traditional Korean-ethnic food that is never missing at the New Year and other festivals, birthdays and weddings.

How it is made

Good glutinous rice is soaked and steamed, then pounded while still hot; People's Daily notes that the pounding calls for a deft touch. The pounders call out lucky phrases as they swing, such as 'bubu gaosheng' (步步高升, 'rise step by step') and 'caiyuan guangjin' (财源广进, 'wealth flowing in').

Where it comes from

Dandong lists 'Korean ethnic craft: dagao' (朝鲜族特色技艺——打糕) as a municipal intangible cultural heritage item. The heritage item's stall is the Jinzhu Dagao Shop (金珠打糕店) on Andong Old Street (安东老街), a national tourism and leisure block whose indoor buildings are modelled mainly on Dandong street architecture of the 1920s and 1930s. The heritage bearer Jin Zhu (金珠) learned the family method and remembers steaming rice and pounding cake at festivals as a child. She has also created colourful new-style cakes that work in Dandong's strawberries and blueberries.

How it is eaten

At the Andong Old Street stall, visitors can take the mallet themselves. During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, Liaoning Daily reported a couple from Dalian calling 'nian nian you yu' (年年有余, 'surplus every year') with each blow. On the same street the cake sits alongside other snacks such as fried starch jelly (焖子) and grilled cold noodles (烤冷面).