Make Chinese New Year Cake Nian Gao (Sticky Rice Cake)

One popular dessert eaten during Chinese New Years is 'Nian Gao (年糕). One of the reasons it's eaten during this time is because the words "Nian Gao (粘糕)", meaning "sticky Make-Rice-Cakes," sounds just like the words 年高, which means something along the lines of "growing taller every year." Similar to "a pinch to grow an inch," this is just used to wish the person good health in the New Year.

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces (400 grams) bag of sticky rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
  • 2/3 cup (130 grams) of brown sugar
  • 7 ounces (210 mL) of boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • Water (by the tablespoon)
  • Optional: Red bean paste (adzuki)
  • Optional: Decorations, (E.g. Sesame seeds, Boba tea powder, etc.)

Steps

  1. Obtain ingredients. Most of these ingredients can be bought at most Asian food stores.
  2. Mix boiling water and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool.
  3. Put the flour in a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour in the sugar/water mixture as well as the milk. Mix.
  4. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is like dough.
  5. Roll out onto a (Glutinous Rice Flour) floured surface. Spray one side with Non-stick spray.
  6. Place on a sprayed paper towel and then in a steamer. Steam for about 45-50 minutes.
  7. Place a dish on top and invert the cake onto the plate. Remove the paper towel.
  8. Finished.



Tips

  • Remember, you're going to invert the cake when you're done! If you're doing a double layer cake, place the layer you want to be on top in the steamer first.
  • You can reheat it in the microwave until desired temperature. Nian Gao isn't really sticky unless it's warm.
  • You can also flavor the dough. Use Green Tea Boba (Bubble Tea) powder to color and flavor half of the dough. Just add the powder after you're finished kneading and incorporate it in. You may have to add some more water, depending on the powder you use.
  • It may take two people to place the cake in the steamer and to invert it when removing.
  • When cutting, have water (boiling or tap) handy so you can rinse the knife between each cut. It makes cutting a lot easier.
  • You can add many "toppings" to your cake. Try a Sweet Red Bean Paste filling (Azuki paste), which can be bought (canned) in Asian supermarkets. Before placing in the steamer, halve the dough, roll out separately and spread the Azuki paste in between them. Steam normally.

Warnings

  • Don't lift the cover of the steamer for any reason unless you're done. Lifting it releases the steam and then it will be extremely difficult for you to finish cooking your cake. There's no need to test for "doneness." 50 minutes is enough.
  • Sticky rice dough is VERY fragile. Be careful when flipping it over and ALWAYS work on a heavily floured surface. It's called sticky rice for a reason!
  • Make sure you're using only glutinous rice flour. Don't confuse this with ordinary Rice Flour, which has a similar texture.
  • Don't burn yourself in the steam.

Things You'll Need

  • A metal steamer is recommended for steaming. You can steam in a pot if necessary.

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References

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