It’s my first time making guilinggao. All because of the heatiness I experienced from the vaccination. Took me three attempts haha… First time followed the English instructions, it was a mess but still got it done. Second time followed Chinese instructions, I made a silly mistake, myself to blame but still works. Third time, fixed the mistake and it works. So I guess I can conclude that it is foolproof 😀 As long that you get the black liquid whether with clumps or not, it still works.