The history of Niupi candy

Niupi candy originated in the Song Kaibao period. Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin accidentally fell into the foot of the Dragon and Tiger Mountain during the fierce battle when he attacked the Southern Tang Dynasty, and fainted beside a workshop on the banks of Luxi River. The shopkeeper’s girl rescued him. Under her meticulous care, Zhao Kuangyin not only recovered quickly, but also developed a deep relationship with the girl, but in order to complete the great cause of reunification in the Song Dynasty, he had to leave her temporarily. On the eve of farewell, the girl brought him her own dessert. Zhao Kuangyin picked up a one-meter-long continuous grain, put it in his mouth, it was tender and chewy, and full of fragrance. Can’t help feeling full of emotions: Kuang Yin’s feelings for girls will never be forgotten! This kind of sugar was gradually passed to the people with Zhao Kuangyin’s Southern Expeditions and Northern Warfare. The people called it “Niupi candy” according to the characteristics of this kind of sugar.

The practice of Niupi candy

[Main ingredients]: 120 grams of maltose; cooked sesame seeds; 100 grams of white sugar; 50 grams of flour; 20 grams of lard or vegetable oil; 180 grams of water; appropriate amount of sweet-scented osmanthus;

Step:

• Put flour in a bowl and pour 150 grams of water into it several times.
• Stir with chopsticks from time to time until the batter is completely uniform and there is no lumps.
• Put all the sugar in a small pot, add 30 grams of water and 6 grams of lard and boil.
• Then pour all the batter in step 2, and continue to stir with medium heat and medium heat until the batter becomes thin and becomes a batter.
• Pour in maltose at this time and continue cooking.
• During the whole process, use a wooden spatula to keep stirring in one direction.
• The batter with maltose will become thicker and thicker, and then pour in the remaining lard.
• When the maltose batter becomes difficult to flow and foams from time to time, sprinkle with sweet-scented osmanthus, stir well and turn off the heat.
• Pour it into a container covered with cooked sesame seeds in advance
• Spread out evenly with a wooden spatula, sprinkle a layer of cooked sesame seeds, and cool completely.
• Take out the brown sugar with a knife coated with cooking oil.
• Use a noodle stick to roll it into 0.5 cm thick slices, cut into strips in the kitchen, and then eat.

Tips：

• Clean water should be slowly added to the flour several times in small amounts, using chopsticks instead of stirring until there is no lumps;
• The use of fat, you can choose lard, vegetable oil or butter according to your personal preference.
• During the whole cooking process, the maltose batter needs to be stirred from time to time to prevent the bottom from being stuck.
• Due to the different water absorption of the flour, the amount can be increased or decreased as appropriate, and the amount of flour can determine the softness and hardness of the cowhide accordingly.