Malao (sticky rice puffed cake) is made with care in every step, from ingredients to craftsmanship
Text / Chen Xiuli Photography / Shi Jihong, Lin Jianfeng
Malao: Nearly Sixty Years of Craftsmanship
Founded nearly sixty years ago, Hong Sheng Company's founder Huang Guozhong has handed the reins to his son but still personally oversees everything. In the making of "malao," he is seen one moment stationed by the boiler cooking syrup, the next inspecting the rice cakes as they are drizzled with syrup and coated in powder, then heading to the product area to watch employees package - his meticulous spirit is truly admirable. From starting his business at 18 to 58 years later, what began as a family workshop has expanded to a factory of several hundred ping, and everything visible is neat and clean, a testament to Huang Guozhong's Hakka diligence and down-to-earth character. Despite the growing scale, he still follows the traditional method of making malao and continuously refines the process.
He recalls the arduous production methods of those early days, when syrup was slowly cooked over coal. Later, someone recommended he switch to steam cooking, which prevented the syrup from burning and made quality control easier. After that, he invested heavily in developing equipment that uses steel pipes to transport syrup to the frying pan for drizzling - a testament to Boss Huang's courage and foresight.
Some steps can be done by machine, but coating with sesame seeds must be done by hand. Several strong-armed masters skillfully scoop up the syrup-drizzled malao with a large wire skimmer and place them into a large stirring-frying pan full of sesame seeds, then manually stir and coat to ensure every piece of malao is evenly covered with sesame seeds. They are then sent into a rotating hexagonal drum conveyor belt, where the tumbling and rolling during transport lightly presses the sesame seeds firmly in place, making each bite more substantial and textured.
When it comes to malao machinery, Boss Huang is a true expert: "The drum conveyor we originally used was round, but it couldn't generate enough collision force to help press the sesame seeds tight. It wasn't until we developed the hexagonal drum that the problem was solved." Boss Huang, who spares no expense in investing in equipment and manpower, says with pride that he was the pioneer of this entire set of equipment.
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▲Hong Sheng founder Huang Guozhong has handed over the business, but the meticulous man still personally oversees everything
From Ingredients to Production: Control at Every Layer, Care in Every Step
Hong Sheng malao is made from semi-finished rice cakes that undergo strict moisture control, multiple rounds of rolling and cutting into shape, and then deep-frying. Boss Huang is very strict about monitoring frying oil quality, choosing pure frying oil with no added antioxidants and non-hydrogenated. During the frying process, he also strictly monitors the polar compound value of the oil - once it exceeds the standard, the entire batch of oil is replaced, keeping the frying oil pure and safe. Yet even the self-demanding Boss Huang admits that Leezen's high standards for ingredient processing leave him in awe, because Leezen not only requires suppliers to meet standards but also requires upstream semi-finished ingredients and their production processes to meet standards as well.
The semi-finished product of malao - the rice cake - is made from glutinous rice and taro, and currently only three traditional ingredient factories in the country still produce it. Boss Huang found Huang Chunxi in Miaoli, and in accordance with Leezen's standards, selected glutinous rice and taro with no pesticide residue as the rice cake ingredients. However, difficulties arose because the rice cake factory's production environment and water quality conditions did not meet standards. Boss Huang therefore hesitated - was it worth going to such great lengths for Leezen's once-a-year New Year goods order? After many twists and turns and much deliberation, and with the patient accompaniment of Leezen's development staff, Hong Sheng not only successfully persuaded Huang Chunxi to improve the production environment but also spared no expense in purchasing water purification equipment costing tens of thousands of yuan for the rice cake factory so that the water used would meet drinking water standards.
Although it is a one-time purchase of New Year goods, where sales volume and profit are often disproportionate, Boss Huang still upholds the philosophy of letting consumers enjoy a nostalgic good taste with peace of mind - mainly because he saw the same level of dedication in Leezen. Over more than 10 years of cooperation with Leezen, he has always patiently submitted products for inspection and made numerous visits to the rice cake ingredient source and production lines. Under strict quality control from both sides, they jointly present a classic good taste passed down through generations.
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▲Hand-stirring and coating to ensure malao is evenly covered with sesame seeds
Source: Everyday Leezen