Jujube Paste and Chinese Yam Cakes (Zaoni Shanyao Bing)
枣泥山药饼 · pan chinese cuisine
Chinese yam (shan yao) is a staple in traditional Chinese cooking, prized for being easy on the stomach. Paired with sweet jujube (red date) paste, these little cakes make a nourishing snack or light dessert. The dough is simply steamed yam mashed with flour, so the cakes stay soft and tender.
Maggie TranSecond-gen Vietnamese, first-gen meal prepper. I batch-cook pho broth monthly and I'm not sorry about the freezer situation. Ask me about fish sauce brands.Questions & feedback
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Nutrition & allergens
Contains:Wheat
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- 176.2(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Protein (g)
- 4.7(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Fat (g)
- 0.3(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Carbs (g)
- 40(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
- Sodium (mg)
- 5.8(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
8.82 oz — washed, peeled, and cut into sections
4.23 oz
2.47 oz
as needed
Techniques you'll use
- Steaming ↗
Cook with moist vapor for tender, clean-tasting results.
- Pan-frying (jian) ↗
Sear food in a shallow layer of oil, one side at a time.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients: wash 250 g of Chinese yam, peel it, and cut it into sections. Have ready 120 g of pitted, peeled jujubes (red dates) and 70 g of all-purpose flour.
✅ Done when: The yam is peeled and cut into sections, and all three ingredients are measured and within reach.
Once the yam and jujubes are washed, place them in a steamer.
✅ Done when: Both the yam sections and the jujubes are sitting in the steamer basket, not stacked in a thick pile.
Let them steam while the water comes to a boil and the steaming begins.
✅ Done when: Steam is rising steadily from the steamer.
Continue steaming until both components are fully cooked through.
✅ Done when: Steam continues to rise and the ingredients are heating through evenly.
After the water comes to a boil, steam for about 20 minutes. The jujubes should darken in color and soften, and the yam should be tender enough that a chopstick slides in easily.
✅ Done when: The jujubes are darker and soft, and a chopstick pierces the yam easily.
- 6
Step 6
Mash the steamed yam into a paste, add the flour, mix well, and knead into a dough.
✅ Done when: The mixture comes together into a single, uniform dough with no dry flour left.
- 7
Step 7
Knead until the dough reaches a smooth, workable consistency.
✅ Done when: The dough is smooth and holds together without cracking.
- 8
Step 8
Mash the steamed jujubes into a smooth paste.
✅ Done when: The jujubes are broken down into a uniform, spreadable paste with no whole pieces left.
- 9
Step 9
Dust your hands with a little flour, flatten a piece of the yam dough in your palm, and wrap some jujube paste inside.
✅ Done when: The jujube paste is fully enclosed by the dough with no filling leaking out.
- 10
Step 10
Once wrapped, press the cake into a flat, round shape.
✅ Done when: Each cake holds a flat, even patty shape with the filling sealed inside.
- 11
Step 11
Dip a rolling pin in a little water and use it to press sesame seeds onto the surface of each cake so they adhere.
✅ Done when: Sesame seeds are stuck evenly across the surface of each cake and no longer fall off freely.
- 12
Step 12
Spray a small amount of oil into a pan.
✅ Done when: A light, even film of oil coats the pan surface.
Cook the cakes until both sides are golden brown.
✅ Done when: Both sides of each cake are evenly golden brown.
- 14
Step 14
Transfer the cakes to a plate and serve.
✅ Done when: All cakes are plated and ready to eat while warm.