Rice balls (ci) and rice cakes are two common types of Shanghainese breakfasts. Although the ingredients are the same, the recipe and taste are completely different.
Rice balls, flatbreads, fritters, and soybean milk are known as the "Four King Kongs" of Jiangnan breakfast, and its status in the minds of Shanghai people can be seen. The method of making rice balls is to add mustard, meat floss, fried dough sticks, tenderloin, ham sausage, hot dog and other ingredients to the cooked glutinous rice according to personal taste, and then knead it by hand to form a rugby ball. There are also shops that knead bamboo chips, and there are even shops that wrap seaweed or bean skin on the surface, which is quite similar to Japanese sushi. When you take a bite of the rice ball, you have the softness of glutinous rice and the taste of a variety of rich ingredients. If you are a sweet eater, you can also choose to add sugar, which is another flavor.
Different from the rice ball method, the rice cake is made of sticky rice in the shape of a square into a pot and fried, after taking out, the skin is fried golden brown, the texture is crisp with a slight burnt, the middle is still snow-white, and the taste of the glutinous rice itself is retained. When you get up in the morning, eat a piece of rice cake and drink a bowl of soy milk, which can not only fill your stomach, but also have a good taste experience.
