Cooking Steps

1. 

   Step1:Remove the core and cut the dates.

2. 

   Step2:I use the best old brown sugar. It's like a brick. Chop it up for use.

3. 

   Step3:Add water and stir the brown sugar until it dissolves.

4. 

   Step4:Then add the chopped red dates. Continue to cook with low heat. The red dates can be cooked soft. Leave the fire to cool. Touch the bottom of the basin with your hands to feel warm and not hot.

5. 

   Step5:Be sure to dry the boiled water until it's warm. It's under 40 degrees. Otherwise, the yeast will lose its activity due to the high temperature. Add flour and yeast. Stir well. If you want more nutrition, add some sesame. Black and white sesame is OK. You can also put walnuts, etc. as you like.

6. 

   Step6:After mixing, it will form a batter state that is thin and soft, and can flow barely when the basin is put down. If the water is not enough, it can be added in a small amount. While stirring, see the state and then decide whether to add it again. Different brands and different series of flour contain different protein or gluten, so the water absorption will be different. I use flour with higher gluten, so the water absorption will be higher. I added 40g of water, and the state was formed after mixing.

7. 

   Step7:Prepare the mold. I use a 6-inch open bottom cake mold. It's easier to cut a piece of oil paper on the bottom than the mold's open bottom. It's easier to demould. If you don't have such a cake mold, you can also use a porcelain bowl or stainless steel basin. The porcelain bowl is not easy to stick. But this amount requires a large wrist or basin of at least 6 inches. If you use a basin, you'd better also pad a piece of oil paper at the bottom.

8. 

   Step8:Pour the batter into the mold. Smooth the surface.

9. 

   Step9:Put on the plastic wrap and ferment in a warm place. In summer, do not turn on the air conditioner. The room temperature can reach more than 28 degrees. If it is winter, ferment in the oven. If there is no oven, you can also boil hot water in the steamer. Then put it into the steamer to ferment with the hot gas in the pot. Fermentation time varies according to the situation. It took me 50 minutes to ferment at room temperature in summer.

10. 

    Step10:Put it in the steamer. When the water is boiled, it will take 25 minutes to get out of the steamer. Don't worry about demoulding after leaving the pot. If there is excess distilled water on the surface that needs to be controlled, then let it cool naturally. Turn the mould around while bumping. Demoulding is easy.

11. 

    Step11:It's a little sticky just after demoulding. Just let it dry for a while. Cut and eat a piece. It's sweet