Crispy rice candy

Dongmitang, or crispy rice candy, is always a popular snack in Huangshan. [Photo/WeChat ID: cnhsta]

Eating Dongmitang, or crispy rice candy, is one of the special traditions of the Spring Festival in the city of Huangshan, Anhui province.

The various stages are shown to make the crispy rice candy. [Photo/WeChat ID: cnhsta]

A lot of preparatory work needs to be done to make the delicacy. For example, the carefully chosen glutinous rice needs to be soaked, drained, steamed and then sun dried. Folks there also make for themselves the sweet maltose – a crystalline sugar made from wheat – which requires more time and patience.

After all the ingredients are prepared, the fried rice is poured into the hot maltose syrup. To make the sugar tastier, some people add sun-dried osmanthus flowers or sesame seeds. At this point, stirring the mixture is a real race against time.

The mixed sugar rice is then put into a large square wooden frame. In order to press the raw materials in the frame firmly, the sugar presser puts on clean cloth shoes, walks around and steps the sugar back and forth in the wooden frame until it becomes a compact sugar brick.

At last, the sugar brick can be chopped into pieces. 

The crispness of the rice, the fragrance of the sesame seeds and the sweetness of maltose are perfectly combined.

Eating Dongmitang, or crispy rice candy, is one of the sweet childhood memories of those living in Huangshan. [Photo/WeChat ID: cnhsta]