Text/Lan Jiang In midsummer, the oak trees on the mountain have grown lush and green.

The oak tree is also called quince, and its leaves can be used to make a Manchu-style delicacy: quince leaf cake. Many people like to eat it, but because it is troublesome to make, few people make it even in the countryside.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people know how to make authentic quince leaf cakes.

My mother grew up eating quince leaf cakes made by her grandma, so her special skills were also passed on to her.

My mother always strives for perfection in everything, so the quince leaf cake she spreads is even more perfect than grandma's.

There are quince trees everywhere on the hillside in my hometown, but it takes a lot of effort to select the standard leaves suitable for spreading quince leaf cakes.

Every time my mother wanted to make quince leaf cakes, my father volunteered to go to the mountains to pick quince leaves.

The leaves that are useful must meet certain standards. The leaves must be of moderate size, not too small or too big. A little larger than an adult's hand is just right.

The age and tenderness of the leaves are also important. If the leaves are too tender, they will become soft and hard to shape. If the leaves are too old, they will lose their natural fragrance. So choosing quince leaves is definitely a task that tests your patience.

Every time my father went to the far hillside to fetch the quince leaves, when measured by my mother's critical eyes, they were barely up to standard.

After the quince leaves are beaten back, you need to trim them with scissors first, and cut off the pointed petiole part to make the whole leaf look almost round. This way, it is easy to wipe the surface, and the appearance of the quince leaf cake is also beautiful.

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Clean the quince leaves after trimming them, drain them and set aside.

My mother had already prepared the batter before. Nowadays, white flour is usually mixed with a certain proportion of starch to make the batter. When we were children, we usually ate sorghum rice noodles or millet noodles, which have a more unique flavor than white noodles.

Let’s talk about the stuffing.

The stuffing ingredients are usually made from local materials. Kidney beans are in season in the garden in summer, so it is best to use kidney beans and pork stuffing. Pinch the kidney beans, wash them, blanch them in boiling water, chop them into small uniform particles, and put them together with the meat stuffing.

Add various seasonings, mix evenly like dumpling fillings, let it sit for a while to absorb the flavor, and then you can spread the quince leaf cake.

Why is it called "wiping" instead of "bao"?

Because the mixed dough is a very elastic batter, you have to use a knife to spread it evenly on the quince leaves.

The most critical step in making quince leaf cake is wiping the dough. If this step is not done well, the quality of the food will be greatly compromised.

Spread the drained quince leaves in your left hand, and hold a knife in your right hand to pick out an appropriate amount of sticky batter. First spread it on the center of the quince leaves, and then spread it thinly from the center to the surrounding sides. The movements of both hands must be very coordinated. The right hand holding the knife

The amount of force is very important. The process of wiping is to slowly rotate the quince leaf on the left palm. After one rotation, the surface is smeared.

The surface should be applied with an appropriate thickness. The center of the leaves should be slightly thicker and thinner towards the outside. It should be thin but even and not exposed.

(Ashamed, I still haven’t mastered this skill well.) Usually one person spreads the batter and the other person wraps it.

Wrapping is relatively easy. Spread the stuffing on the quince leaves. Of course, there are requirements for the filling. Put a little more in the middle and get thinner toward the sides. Then, hold the quince leaves with both hands and close them in the middle.

The palm is empty, use the strength on the fingers, and press lightly with a few fingers, and a standard quince leaf cake will be wrapped, clean and plump, and the sticky batter will not be stained at all.

Come outside.

When a pot of quince leaf cake is ready, the big pot is filled with water. When the water is hot, a large steaming curtain is put into the pot, and a layer of washed quince leaves is spread on the curtain, and then the quince leaf cake is put in.

Arrange them one by one at a slight angle and steam over high heat. After boiling the pot, steam for twenty minutes. Before you even lift the lid of the pot, the unique fragrance of quince leaves and the fragrance of the fillings have already spread throughout the room!

After taking the quince leaf cake out of the pot and letting it cool slightly, you can put it on the table and enjoy it.

The quince leaf cake that my mother spread was very skillful. After removing the leaves, the cake was quivering, smooth and full without revealing the filling. The green kidney bean filling could be seen vaguely.