Anqing's iconic black sesame confection from the century-old Malong Xiang brand. Its deep sable color echoes an ancient ink stone — the source of its name — while the interior is silky and yielding, milled sesame bound with maltose into a pastry that dissolves richly on the tongue.
Malong Xiang was established in 1892 during the Guangxu reign, founded in competitive response to a Zhejiang merchant's Daoxiangcun pastry shop that had opened near Anqing. The founder engaged master pastry makers from Jiangsu and Guangdong at great expense to develop distinctive products, among them the closely guarded black sesame formula that became Mozi Crisp — named for its inky resemblance to an ancient ink stone. The shop took its name from the line in Su Dongpo's verse, 'the fragrance of cakes drifts over the wheat field ridge' (麦陇风来饼饵香). By the Republican era Malong Xiang operated fifty-seven shops across Anqing with over three hundred pastry varieties. The crisp won a Commercial Ministry Quality Food Award in 1983, a Silver Medal at the National Food Exposition in 1989, and was designated an official product of the 1990 Beijing Asian Games (the 11th Asian Games).
A single piece yields a compressed cushion of ground black sesame that collapses softly against the tongue — dense but not heavy. The sweetness is rounded and lingering, coming from maltose rather than refined sugar, and a roasted nuttiness deepens with each chew long after the pastry has dissolved.
Black sesame is roasted to around 160°C, triggering the Maillard reaction between the seeds' amino acids and reducing sugars — generating pyrazine and furan aromatic compounds that define the deep nutty character. Milling the cooled seeds releases lignans such as sesamol and sesamin alongside over 60 percent oil content, producing the silky paste. Maltose, a disaccharide, resists crystallization far better than sucrose, keeping the crisp supple and moist for weeks without turning granular.
Variations
A white sesame variant exists but is considered a lesser substitute. Festive gift-box editions mix Mozi Crisp with other Malong Xiang pastries. Home bakers sometimes incorporate tahini to deepen flavor, though the traditional formula relies on milled black sesame and maltose alone.
On the Palate
Where Mozi Black Sesame Crisp sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 20How it's made
7 steps · 40 min
- 115 min
Rinse black sesame seeds, drain thoroughly, and dry-roast in a wok over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until fragrant and the seeds stop jumping (about 10 minutes); spread on a tray and cool completely.
Watch outDry-roast the sesame over medium-low, stirring, just until fragrant and the seeds stop jumping — push past and they scorch bitter.
- 210 min
Grind the cooled roasted sesame in a stone mill or high-power blender until a smooth paste forms; do not add water.
- 310 min
Sift wheat flour, steam briefly for 5 minutes to pre-gelatinize, then dry-roast gently in a clean wok until lightly nutty; cool completely.
- 410 min
Combine sesame paste, roasted wheat flour, white sugar powder, and maltose syrup in a large bowl; knead thoroughly until a unified, pliable mass forms.
Watch outKnead sesame paste, roasted flour and maltose into one pliable mass — maltose resists graining, so this is what keeps the crisp supple for weeks.
- 530 min
Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes so the maltose distributes evenly and the dough firms slightly.
- 65 min
Press the mixture onto a lightly oiled board; roll out to approximately 1 cm thickness with even pressure.
- 710 min
Cut into rectangular blocks (about 5 × 3 cm), then wrap individually in wax paper to maintain freshness.
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