The Nian Gao, or Chinese New Year cake, is a must-have dish to have on your table during the festive season. The CNY dessert is also traditionally offered to your family and friends as symbolises prosperity. The dish is a glutinous rice cake that has a soft and sticky texture. This dish is so easy to make and takes about an hour to cook. Therefore, why not surprise your guests for the Lunar New Year by making this traditional delight! Here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients (6 to 8 servings):
-
- 300 g of Glutinous Rice Flour
- Fine Sea Salt
- 110 g of Wheat Starch
- Sugar Mixture
- 60 g of Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ Cup of Cold Water
- 250 g of Cane Sugar
- Sesame Coconut Mixture
- 1 ⅓ Tbsp of Chinese Sesame Sauce
- ¾ Cup of Coconut Milk
Preparation Methods:
- Start by melting the cane sugar and brown sugar pieces with cold water in a small saucepan. Make sure that the ingredients are cooked over medium heat. Break down the cane sugar and brown sugar pieces once the water starts to become warm.
- Sift through the glutinous rice flour, wheat starch and some salt (a pinch) through a mesh strainer and into a mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients well with a silicone spatula.
- Then, proceed to prepare the sesame coconut mixture in a small mixing bowl. Add in the Chinese sesame sauce and coconut milk together.
- When the sugar mixture has completely melted, add the sesame coconut mixture into the pot with the sugar mixture. Let the ingredients cool down for a bit and then mix the ingredients well.
- Then, take the coconut sugar mixture and pour the ingredients into a large mixing bowl filled with the rice flour mixture. Stir the ingredients well with a silicone spatula.
- Ensure that there are not any lumps inside the batter by pressing them against the mixing bowl with the spatula. The lumps can be smoothed by running the batter through a fine-mesh strainer. Add some vegetable oil once the lumps have been smoothed and then stir it well.
- Wipe some vegetable oil onto the cake pan interior and then pour the Nian Gao Batter into the cake pan by pouring through the strainer.
- Add 1 cup of water (250 mL) into the pressure cooker and then wrap the cake pan with an aluminium foil properly. Put the cake pan above the trivet and proceed to close the lid. Let the Nian Gao batter to pressure cook at high pressure for about 38 minutes and at full natural release for about 8 minutes.
- Then, carefully open the lid and check the doneness by poking a chopstick through the middle of the cake. Pull the chopstick back up and see that nothing sticks to the chopstick. Decorate the cake with a red date above the hole.
- Let the Nian Gao cool at room temperature and place it in the refrigerator for about 4 to 8 hours before cutting it.
- The dish is ready to be served. Enjoy!
Read more about Nian Geo or other popular CNY desserts by clicking here.
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