Long ago, the cool morning air of Xi’an carried the sing-song cries of vendors pedalling tricycles through the streets, announcing trays of steamed rice-and-date cake that had spent the whole night slowly cooking. Today, you’re more likely to find zeng gao (甑糕) in the Muslim Quarter, where it sits in vast earthenware steamers, glossy and almost black with jujubes, ready to be sliced into thick, warm bricks.

Every tour I’ve run through Xi’an, it’s zeng gao that stops people in their tracks. Guests stare at it, puzzled by its inky surface, wondering what it could be. Traditionally eaten for breakfast, it’s a cake of six layers—sticky rice, red beans, and dates, repeated twice. Simple in structure, but richer than it sounds.

Shaanxi’s own Lingbao jujubes are especially prized: dense, plump, and sugar-heavy, perfect for transforming into honey dates (蜜枣 | mì zǎo). These are simmered in syrup until they turn dark, sticky, and almost toffee-like. Together with the dried jujubes and red beans, they give the cake subtle shifts in sweetness and texture.

Outside China, Medjool or Deglet Noor dates make fine stand-ins, still offering that rich sweetness against the chew of glutinous rice.

Few people bother to make zeng gao at home; it ties up a steamer for hours—up to eight if you want that extra stickiness. Outside Xi’an, though, it’s a rare sight, so if I crave it I turn to my own kitchen. I use a pressure cooker as it can cut the time right down to two hours.

Serves 4-5