Ci Fan Gao

Alternative names	Cifan Gao; sticky rice cake Shanghai; fried glutinous rice cake; 油氽粢饭糕; 糍饭糕
Pinyin	Cí fàn gāo
Type	Fried compressed rice cake (savory breakfast)
Course	Breakfast / snack
Place of origin	China
Region or state	Jiangnan — Shanghai and nearby; Shanghai breakfast stalls
Other	Shanghai fried rice slab — not sweet nian gao alone, not ci fan tuan roll

Ci Fan Gao (Simplified Chinese: 粢饭糕; Traditional Chinese: 粢飯糕; Pinyin: Cí fàn gāo; also written 糍饭糕; sometimes oil-fried as 油氽粢饭糕) is a Jiangnan breakfast snack of cooked glutinous and/or short-grain rice seasoned with salt (often scallion), packed into a slab, chilled, sliced into rectangles, and deep-fried or pan-fried until the exterior is golden and crisp while the interior stays soft and chewy. It is part of Shanghai street-breakfast culture alongside items such as Youtiao and soy milk. Soft Spring-and-Autumn hero burial legends are folklore. It is distinct from sweet sticky Nian Gao, from Cifantuan (rice roll wrapping youtiao), and from Song Gao steamed cake.^[1]

Characteristics

Rectangular golden slabs; crunchy shell; savory, mildly salty rice aroma; optional seaweed or scallion variants.

Ingredients (overview)

Glutinous rice and/or indica/short-grain rice; salt; optional scallion or other mix-ins; frying oil. Overview only.

History and culture

Jiangnan/Shanghai breakfast classic; home cooks also fry leftover rice slabs. English food writing may say "ci fan gao," "cifan gao," or playfully "rice hash browns." See Shanghai Food and Youtiao.

Serving and variations

Breakfast with soy milk or vinegar dip in some shop styles. See Shanghai Food, Youtiao, and Jianbing.

References

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