Bowl-Steamed Rice Cake 碗粿

Bowl-Steamed Rice Cake (碗粿) is a steamed rice cake found in Tainan (台南). At Xiaoxijiao (小西脚), the documented version uses local rice and a filling of family-recipe braised minced pork, fresh shrimp, mushrooms and egg yolk.

Rice batter and savoury fillings

The city tourism bureau describes southern bowl cakes as soy-sauce-coloured, with a depression in the centre. At Xiaoxijiao, rice quality, steaming heat and moisture loss contribute to a springy cake that keeps its central depression without turning mushy. At another Tainan maker, Yuyi (裕益) in Madou (麻豆), rice is ground to a slurry and steamed with mushrooms, egg, meat and fried shallots.

Sauce and family transmission

Yuyi finishes its hand-made cakes with sauce poured on top and a little mashed garlic. Xiaoxijiao’s brothers Cai Mingsong (蔡明松) and Cai Mingcai (蔡明财) reopened their father Cai Zaifa’s (蔡再发) business in 1999, retaining his cooking flavour and technique while introducing Japanese steaming equipment.