Nian gao
Nian gao is eaten in China at Lunar New Year. Its name means “year cake”, but it sounds exactly like a differently written phrase meaning “higher year after year” — hence the New Year wish for advancement and prosperity. It is made from three things: glutinous rice flour, dark sugar and water, steamed for an hour. The result is a glossy, dark, very chewy cake tasting of caramel. It is eaten sliced, cold or — better still — pan-fried until crisp outside and soft within.
Your own work in that: 55 min.
- Syrup and batter 35 min
- Steaming 60 min
- Cooling 180 min
- Serving 20 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneDissolve the sugar
Stir the sugar into the boiling water until it disappears. Leave it 20–25 minutes to cool to lukewarm — hot syrup sets the rice flour into lumps. Standing the pan in a bowl of cold water speeds this up.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
Dark sugar gives the colour and caramel taste.Mix the batter
Whisk the rice flour into the syrup until completely smooth and lump-free. It should be loose, like pancake batter.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
Smooth and lump-free — the batter is thin.Add the oil
Stir in 2 tablespoons of oil. It keeps the cooked cake from sticking to the tin and makes it glossy.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
Prepare the tin
Oil a 20 cm round tin (a lined springform or a metal bowl works) and pour in the batter.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil for the tin and pan · 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Set up the steamer
Stand the tin in a steamer over boiling water and cover with a lid wrapped in a cloth — condensation must not drip onto the cake.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
A cloth under the lid catches condensation.Steam
Steam for 60 minutes, topping up the boiling water. The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean and the batter has turned dark and glossy.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
Cool
Lift out the tin and cool at least 3 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge. Warm nian gao is far too soft to slice.
Ingredients: 300 g glutinous rice flour · 200 g dark brown sugar · 350 ml boiling water · 2 tbsp neutral oil
Slice and fry
Cut into 1 cm slices with a knife dipped in water — the tin gives about 18. Fry them in batches in a tablespoon of oil for 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp. Scatter with sesame.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil for the tin and pan · 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Before you start
The flour
It must be glutinous rice flour (mochiko), not ordinary rice flour — only that gives the chew. Despite the English name it contains no gluten. Asian grocers and online Asian food shops sell it in 400–500 g bags; plain rice flour will not work and there is no substitute.
In egg
A popular way to serve it is dipped in beaten egg and fried, giving a delicate omelette coating. A serving is then about 210 kcal.
Storage
Tightly wrapped in the fridge it keeps 2 weeks and hardens considerably — that is normal, frying softens it again. It freezes in slices for 3 months.
