Finding my way home through cooking

July 1, 2020

After living in Canada for three years, I had planned to visit my family in China this summer. However, my plans were cancelled due to the pandemic and the travel restrictions required to control the spread of the virus. When homesickness and loneliness have struck during quarantine, glutinous rice cake is a reminder of home especially as it evokes sweet memories. Cheesecake and brownies could fulfill one's desire for desserts, but the condensed sweetness and the strong flavour often overwhelms me. I can’t help but feel guilty for the amount of sugar and fat that I’ve consumed. On the other hand, rice cake provides mild hints of sweetness from natural ingredients and adds another layer of joy to this dessert.

Ironically, because I have spent many years living away from home, I hardly recognize this place anymore when I do return to it, especially given its continuous growth and change. While the term “home” no longer refers to a specific location, I can still return to it through my memories, which, unlike travelling, are not limited by the pandemic. My sense of home is bound up in the sounds, smells, and tastes of a place that no longer exists.

Many ingredients from the original recipes are not accessible outside Chinese supermarkets. I tried to substitute sweetened rice wine, longan and goji berries with dried fruits and nuts that are easier to get from other grocery stores. One can easily add or change the fillings of the rice cake and make the version that they enjoy the most. To my surprise, the taste doesn’t deviate too much from what I remember. It is in this way, that I continue to remember and rebuild my sense of home on another continent, in a new place.

Ingredients
2 cups Glutinous rice
½ cup Flour
Dates (or red beans)*
Walnuts (or almonds)
Water

*The amount of dates and red beans depends on the level of sweetness you prefer

Optional ingredients: rice wine, raisins, sesame, brown sugar or maple syrup)

Directions

1. Boil the glutinous rice, dates, or red beans separately for 20-30 minutes till the ingredients become soft. Chill the ingredients until cool to touch.

2. Mix flour into glutinous rice, add water if necessary.

3. Layout ¼ of the rice-flour mixture on parchment paper, add a layer of sweet ingredients (dates or red bean), add nuts, then repeat the process until all the ingredients are used up.

4. Bake the rice cake at 400 °F (205°C) for 20 minutes.

5. Chill the cake in the fridge overnight before cutting and eat it.

Jingshu Yao is a creative writer based in Toronto who is exploring multicultural and multilingual experiences.