Yulan cake, fried glutinous rice cake, was created by the Sunji cake store in Wuxi during the reign of the Emperor Daoguang in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It coincided with the mangnolia flowers (yulan in Chinese) blooming, so the cake was called Yulan cake.

[Photo provided to bizwnd.com]

It is made of glutinous rice flour mixed with hot water. You shape them into small pies and stuff with lard mixed with one of those four ingredients, depending on your taste and choice, namely vegetable shreds, bean paste, fresh meat, and sesame. Then fry them in a pan with some oil until they look golden yellow and crispy enough.

The Yulan cake has an attractive color, and is crisp on the outside. People in the south of the Yangtze River usually have it with soya milk for breakfast.