While at Shilin night market 士林夜市 in Taipei, we stumbled upon a stall serving Zhuang Yuan or scholar rice cake 狀元糕. They were small snowy white cup size cakes with options of crushed peanut, sesame seed, and brown sugar fillings.
Actually, the first thing that caught my attention was the contraption used to make the tiny rice cakes.
It's a wooden cup with cap and a long stem. Milled glutinous rice (coarse powder) and fillings were packed into the cup, covered, and the stem plugged into a steel pipe blowing hot steam from boiling water below.
The working principle of the Zhuang Yuan rice cake device reminds me of the contraption for making putu bambu, a steamed rice cake found in Malaysia and Indonesia (Nusantara or Malay Archipelago).
Singapore's tu tu kueh is a similar but smaller version of steam pipe and cup device.
In the Philippines, it's the same steam pipes and bamboo stem contraption. They use local purple rice and grated coconut here.
The modern Indian putu maker works along the same lines. This was spotted at Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur.
There are several urban legends about how Zhuang Yuan rice cakes came about. The oldest often cited one attributed it to the Tang dynasty (618 - 907).
A poor, aspiring scholar-official came to the capital for the do-or-die Imperial Exam. To make ends meet, the young man made steamed rice cakes as a street hawker. This young hawker passed the Imperial Exam with flying colours and became a scholar-official.
Since then, Zhuang Yuan rice cakes are made and offered to aspiring scholar-officials before the Imperial Exams as sustenance and for good luck.
The steamed rice cakes shaped like an official's hat is a sign of official rank and authority.
There are other variations to the story but all have to do with scholars and the Imperial Exam.
Today, most night markets in Taiwan have Zhuang Yuan rice cake stalls though I have not seen them in China or in Southeast Asia before.
The steamed rice cake was tender firm spongy, springy and moist. It was made with glutinous rice flour. There's a subtle rice sweetness complemented by options of white or brown sugar as well as crushed peanut or sesame seed.
I am not a diehard fan of Zhuang Yuan rice cake taste wise, because it is a little too sweet for my liking.
But, the device and production technique are fascinating to me, especially its footprint in Southeast Asia and India.
Putu bambu is probably derived from Zhuang Yuan rice cake.
A.T. Achaya, the renowned Indian food historian in his seminal A Historical Dictionary of Indian Food suggested (on page 105 citing Xuan Zang) that steaming devices did not arrive in India until after the 7th century. It is probable that steaming devices such as the cup / stem and pot system passed through Nusantara before finding its way to India.
Look out for and try Zhuang Yuan rice cake when you are in Taiwan 😋 Most night markets in Taiwan have Zhuang Yuan steamed cake stalls.
Written by Tony Boey on 24 Jun 2025
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Yes I have but didn’t like the taste and no wonder I didn’t make it get scholarship 😂
ReplyDeletePutu Piring?
ReplyDeleteScholars used to be poor in ancient China and only could afford cheap or get donated food, that's why it's probably plain.
Putu Piring?
ReplyDeleteScholars used to be poor in ancient China and only could afford cheap or get donated food, that's why it's probably plain.
These if bring to sg. Surely a new hit
ReplyDeleteI love these! Ate them growing up!
ReplyDelete