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Nian gao (brown sugar sticky rice cake)
年糕 nian gao: Cantonese New Year steamed brown-sugar glutinous rice cake, pan-fried in egg
Across Guangdong a tall nian gao, glossy and almost black from slab brown sugar, is steamed before New Year and offered to the Kitchen God; its name sounds like 'higher every year'. Days later, once it has firmed up, the cake is cut into slices, dipped in beaten egg and fried until the outside is lacy and the inside soft and stretchy. The batter is just glutinous rice flour, brown sugar and water, so a plain steamed slice is vegan; the egg is for frying. Cutting it too soon is the mistake: freshly steamed nian gao is a sticky puddle, so wait at least a day. Chef's tip: oil your knife between slices and it glides through cleanly.
- Total time
- 165 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cake
- 9 oz dark brown sugaror Chinese slab brown sugar, chopped
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 14 oz glutinous rice flour
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 3 dried red dates (jujubes) (optional)halved and stoned, for the top
For frying
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 9 oz dark brown sugar and 1 ¼ cups water over a low heat, stirring, until dissolved. Cool until just warm.
5 minStep 2: Put 14 oz glutinous rice flour in a bowl and slowly whisk in the syrup and 1 tbsp of 1 tbsp neutral oil to a smooth, thick batter like double cream. Strain it if there are lumps.
Step 3: Oil an 18 cm round cake tin with the rest of 1 tbsp neutral oil and line the base with baking paper. Pour in the batter and press in 3 dried red dates (jujubes).
Step 4: Cover the tin with foil and steam over a medium-high heat for 2 hours 30 minutes, topping up with boiling water every 30 minutes. It is done when the colour is even all the way through and a chopstick comes out sticky but not milky.
150 minStep 5: Cool, cover and leave at room temperature overnight, or chill for up to 2 weeks, until firm enough to slice.
Step 6: Cut into 1 cm slices, dip each in 2 eggs and fry in 3 tbsp neutral oil over a medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes a side, until golden and soft right through. Too high a heat burns the sugar before the centre melts.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does nian gao (brown sugar sticky rice cake) take?
- About 165 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dark brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tbsp molasses or treacle per 200g.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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Perfect for:Lunar New Year