Mugwort Rice Cakes

Mugwort rice cakes, known in Taiwan as Cao Zai Guo, are a traditional Taiwanese rice snack with a gentle herbal aroma and a soft, chewy texture.

In this video, I share two versions of the dough: one made with mugwort powder and the other with cudweed. Both are filled with a savory shredded radish filling, creating a soft, chewy exterior and a simple, comforting flavor that many people remember from home.

I also compare the difference between mugwort and cudweed dough, share a few helpful preparation tips, and show how to steam the rice cakes so the skin stays soft, chewy, and does not collapse.

Watch step by step recipe video below:

Ingredients

(Below are the ingredients and ratios used in this recipe. Quantities can be adjusted to taste.)

Filling

50 g dried shredded radish (soaked and rinsed)
15 g dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked until soft)
20 g dried shrimp (soaked until softened)
150 g ground pork
1 tbsp rice wine
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp thick soy sauce paste
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp fried shallots
Cooking oil as needed

Dough

250 g glutinous rice flour
50 g rice flour
5 g mugwort powder or 7 g dried cudweed (ground)
~ 200 g water (adjust depending on flour absorption)
35 g sugar
1 tbsp cooking oil
Banana leaves or parchment paper

Note:
When mugwort powder is used, the dough will change color during steaming. The light green dough may turn a darker green, and sometimes deep green after cooling. This is a natural reaction of mugwort when heated and does not affect the flavor.

Preparation

Filling

1. Soak dried shrimp and mushrooms until softened.
2. Soak shredded dried radish in water for about 30 minutes, rinse well, and squeeze out excess moisture. Cut shorter if needed.
3. Dice the mushrooms and finely chop the shrimp.
4. Heat a pan with some cooking oil. Stir fry mushrooms and shrimp until fragrant, then add ground pork and cook until browned.
5. Season with salt, white pepper, soy sauce, soy sauce paste, and fried shallots. Stir well.
6. Add shredded radish and stir fry until evenly mixed. Remove and let cool.

Dough (Ban Mu & Main Dough)

1. Mix 40 g glutinous rice flour with 30–35 g water and knead into a small dough.
2. Flatten and cook in boiling water until it floats. Remove and set aside.
3. Combine rice flour with glutinous rice flour.
4. Mix mugwort powder or cudweed powder with a small amount of water to form a paste.
5. Add the cooked starter dough and sugar. Gradually add water and knead into a dough.
6. Transfer to a work surface and knead while adding 1 tbsp cooking oil until smooth and elastic.
7. If the dough is too soft, add a little rice flour. If too dry, add a little water.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.

Shaping and Steaming

1. Divide the dough into 10 portions, about 55 g each.
2. Lightly oil your hands and shape each dough piece into a small bowl.
3. Fill with about 50 g filling.
4. Slowly pinch to seal the dough, remove excess dough if needed, round the shape, and place seam side down.
5. Place each rice cake on banana leaves or parchment lightly brushed with oil.
6. Arrange the rice cakes in a steamer and cover. Steam over medium high heat for 10 minutes.
7. Open the lid briefly to release steam (this prevents the dough from collapsing), then continue steaming for another 3–5 minutes until fully cooked.
8. Brush a thin layer of oil on the surface after steaming to keep the dough soft.