Glutinous Rice Cake (Ciba)

Ciba is a glutinous rice cake made by steaming sticky rice, then pounding it repeatedly in a stone mortar into a soft, springy mass that is pressed into cakes. It is chewy and easily shaped.

Pounding ciba is a New Year tradition widespread across the mountains of southern China, the Tujia of western Hunan included. At festival time neighbors join to pound the rice together — at once a way of making food and a lively communal ritual.

It can be pan-fried, grilled or boiled, eaten with sugar or alongside savory dishes; it hardens when cool and turns soft and sticky again when reheated. It is often given as a festival gift and eaten at family reunions.

Soft, chewy and good either sweet or savory — and its very making is full of festive spirit. To taste ciba is to feel the New Year mood of the southern hill country.