Pei Erlang looked at his daughter and asked, "Yao'er, is it really okay to eat this fruit that's so sour and astringent?"
Pei Yao looked at her father with a smile on her face: "Father, don't worry. Although these jujubes are sour and astringent when eaten like this, they will be delicious when made into jujube cake later."
Pei Erlang had never heard of jujube cake before, so he had no idea what it was. He was just very curious: could something so unpalatable really be made into the delicious pastry that Yao'er mentioned?
However, if Yao'er said it was possible, then it definitely was possible.
Yunniang, Chen Fang, and Pei Erlang all came to help.
Pei Yao steamed the washed jujubes for about 30 minutes, until they started to open up.
"Yao girl, is there anything we can help you with?" Chen Fang asked, watching Pei Yao's busy figure.
Pei Yao remembered that there were still some sweet potatoes at home, which Aunt Niu had brought over earlier, so she could make several different flavors.
So he asked the three of them to wash, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks and then steam them.
"Okay, sure." Yunniang and Chen Fang went to get busy after hearing this.
Pei Yao then used a stone mortar and pestle to grind some dried chili powder for later use.
Once the jujubes are almost cooked, they can be served.
When Pei Dalang returned after beating up Pei Yichen, he came over to help Pei Yao move the items.
"Yao'er, I'll do it. Don't worry about you getting burned, you're just a little girl. Tell your uncle where you want to take it?"
Pei Yao pointed to the table in the yard: "Uncle, just put it on that table."
As soon as Pei Yao finished speaking, Pei Dalang had already placed the sour dates on the table.
After Pei Yao arrived, Pei Dalang asked, "Yao'er, what should we do next?"
The next step is to peel the skin off the jujubes while they are still hot.
Just then, the others finished their work and came over.
Pei Yao taught them how to peel the jujubes. The jujubes were easiest to peel when they were fresh out of the pot, but they were a little hot to the touch.
This is evident from the way the group was grimacing and baring their teeth as they peeled the skin.
Don't rush to throw away the peeled jujube skins; you can keep them and chop them up later to mix into the jujube paste. This will make the taste even richer.
The jujube has a large pit in the middle, which is inedible and needs to be removed.
However, removing the seeds is a big project. Most people like to use a stick to stir and take out the jujube pits as they are stirred. But Pei Yao has a unique little trick.
That is to rub the sour jujubes with your hands. Put all the sour jujubes together and then rub them. Rub them vigorously, and in a short while, the jujube pits will be rubbed to the edge. Then, wipe them off with your hand.
After you've removed all the jujube pits from the plate, you can add whatever you like to eat.
Pei Yao mashed the steamed sweet potatoes into a paste, then added some jujube paste and mixed them together, making the ratio of jujube paste to sweet potato paste about half and half. She then added the sugar syrup that she had previously used for making ice jelly.
Add plenty of sugar water, as jujubes are quite sour, and adding more sugar will make the jujube cake taste sweet and sour.
There was also a portion of jujube paste, which only contained sugar water and jujube peels, nothing else.
Add chopped jujube peel and the previously prepared chili flakes to the remaining jujube paste. If you can't stand the sourness, add more sugar water.
Actually, adding some perilla leaves would have made it taste even better, but Pei Yao didn't have any, so she simply didn't add them.
Once the jujube paste is mixed, you can pinch it into small balls by hand and place them on a winnowing basket to dry.
There are three flavors in total, each with its own unique characteristics.
Pei Yao also placed a few banana leaves on the winnowing basket and then spread the jujube paste evenly on top.
At this point, you can decide the thickness based on your own taste.
A thicker layer will result in a softer, more glutinous texture, while a thinner layer will result in a chewier, more chewy texture.
In Lingnan, the heat usually subsides after two or three days of sun exposure.
By the time the family finished their work, it was already dark. After washing up, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.
...
Life went on as usual, busy and bustling. Soon, Pei Yao's jujube cakes were all dried.
As soon as Pei Xuan heard her older sister say that the jujube cake was ready, she was the first to rush forward, eager to be her older sister's guinea pig for testing the dish.
Pei Yao had already tried it, and the jujube cake was almost dried. Looking at Pei Xuan, who was staring at her with wide eyes, Pei Yao shook her head with a smile and handed her one: "Here, try it."
Pei Xuan trusted his older sister completely. As soon as he got the cake, he put it in his mouth and immediately squinted his eyes, waving his hands happily: "Wow, older sister, the jujube cake is so delicious!"
Pei Yao looked at the little girl's expression and chuckled as she pinched her cheek: "Alright, I'll cut these up first, and we can eat our fill later."
"Okay," the little girl replied in her sweet, childlike voice.
Pei Yao cut the jujube cake that had been laid on the banana leaves into small square pieces, making it easier to eat.
Pei Yao made them all quite thick, and they looked crystal clear under the sun.
Pei Yichen, who had just returned from the Liu family, immediately saw Pei Yao cutting something and came over: "Sister, is the jujube cake ready?"
Before Pei Yao could even reply, the boy had already taken a small piece from under Pei Yao's knife and quickly popped it into his mouth.
"Delicious!" Pei Yichen couldn't help but praise it after taking a bite, even before he had finished chewing.
The others in the courtyard came over when they heard the commotion. They learned that it was jujube cake that they had made together a few days ago, and it was ready to eat now.
Everyone started trying it out. There were three flavors in total: original, one with chili flakes, and one with sweet potato puree.
Pei Yao, Chen Fang, and Pei Dalang all agreed that adding chili peppers would make the flavor more sour, spicy, and refreshing.
Pei Yichen and Pei Xuan thought that adding sweet potato would make the texture softer, sweeter, and more fragrant.
Yunniang and Pei Erlang felt that the original flavor was more authentic.
Everyone has their own taste, but all three flavors of jujube cake are delicious.
"Sister, this jujube cake is so delicious! It's even better than the peach shortbread from Yunji Pastry Shop!" Xiao Xuan'er's eyes narrowed with happiness as she ate.
In the past, Yunji Pastry's peach shortbread was the best in her heart, but now her older sister's sour jujube cake is the best.
Pei Yao couldn't help but smile when she saw the little girl giving such a high evaluation.
Pei Yao wrapped several portions in banana leaves and sent one portion to Liu Yan's family and another to the Shen family.
She delivered another portion to the Niu family. When she arrived, Uncle Niu and Aunt Niu were home. Pei Yao greeted them and then gave the jujube cake to Aunt Niu.
"You silly child, you're so kind of you to come all this way and bring so many things." Although Aunt Niu said this, she felt very warm inside.
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