Skip to main content

Fried 'Nian Gao' ~ Sticky rice cake ~ CNY 2010


'Nian Gao' in Mandarin or 'Nin Ko' in Cantonese is a must-have item during CNY.  This sticky glutinous rice cake is symbolic as it carries a homonym that sounds like 'year~high/tall'.  For business people eating this will link them to prosperity and wealth and working people will look forward to career advancement, promotion.
Slice them up when they're still soft, keep them in containers and they can be stored in the fridge for months.
I normally steam and dip them in freshly grated young coconut mixed with some salt or just fry with beaten egg.  But this time around, I've decided to be a bit more 'challenging' and try out Elin's recipe.  Thanks, Elin of  Elinluv's Tidbits Corner  for sharing!




Nin Ko, yam and sweet potato all sliced up.  Sandwhich a piece of nin ko with a piece of yam and a piece of sweet potato.
Dip it into the batter and fry in the oil, with the piece of yam at the bottom, as it takes a longer time to cook.
Flip it over from time to time.


Crunchy crust and sweet, soft nin ko inside ................. mmmmm



Nin Ko piled up .... 'Po, po, ko sing'..... or 'rising step by step each year'!  Incidentally, today is the last day of the lunar New Year and the first 15th day of the first month which is also referred to as  "Chap Goh Mei'!

Recipe for Fried 'Nin Ko ~ Sticky rice cake

Ingredients
  • 1 big nin ko, cut to 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 yam/taro, cut to 1/4 inch slices
  • 2 sweet potatoes (choose those that are fairly round), cut to 1/4 inch slices
  • Oil for deep frying
For the batter
  • 4 oz rice flour
  • 2 oz plain flour
  • 2 oz cornflour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 200 ml  water (I've omitted the egg)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
Preparation
  1. Remove the banana leaves from the nin ko, cut into 1/4 inch slices, set aside.
  2. Peel, wash the yam and sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices, set aside.
  3. Mix thoroughly the various flours together with the baking powder and salt, add in water gradually to form a smooth batter, thick enough to coat the yam and sweet potato.
  4. Let the batter rest for 1/2 an hour.
  5. Meanwhile, in a wok heat up enough oil to deep-fry the nin ko.
  6. Sandwhich a piece of nin ko with a piece of yam and a piece of sweet potato.  Dip this into the batter and with a pair of long chopsticks, lower it into the oil to deep fry, with the piece of yam at the bottom as it takes a longer time to cook.  Flip it over from time to time, fry under slow medium heat, till golden brown. 
  7. Once done, take out and place on kitchen paper towels to absorb the oil.
  8. Serve warm.

Comments

  1. This is what i miss the most about CNY!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Those are such scrumptious cakes with sweet potato inside! A very yummy treat!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is one of the afternoon snacks my mum had to prepare after CNY. The Niangao sandwiches are really cool!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like to eat Nian Kao this way, yummy ! I still have few Nian Kao, must cook this way soon.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's my favourite! I've just made the other day and my girls has been frying it with eggs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. wah..u dare to take up the challenge? hahaha.. i dare not..
    hey, u normally mixed with scraped coconut and fried them? oh, i never tasted them before..

    ReplyDelete
  7. 3 hungry tummies
    Can you buy the nin ko in the Burke St. area?

    5 Star Foodie
    Yes, they're yummy but rather time-consuming!

    Angie, are they available in your area?

    Sonia, think I prefer to eat them just plain fried in beaten egg. This is a bit oily!

    Mary, great that your girls helped you out. Just frying with beaten egg is also very tasty.

    renaclaire, think you got mistaken, either I eat it steamed and mixed with coconut or just fry them with beaten egg. Ya, it's challenging, a lot of work and standing involved, especially now in this steamy hot weather!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love nian gou fried this way! Could eat a few pieces at one go and frying them is a challenge indeed. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jeannie, it's indeed a challenge. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. These look so delicious! I might have to make a trip to the local Chinatown and see if any of the bakeries sell them.... : )

    ReplyDelete
  11. They look fantastic! Great pictures too! I would love to try these!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh these look delicious!! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wah! 3 layers? I guess I have to wait till next year now.

    ReplyDelete
  14. penny. I still have some in the fridge. Pity can't pass some to you!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for dropping by. Please click on 'Anonymous' if you do not have a blog but do leave your name after the comment because I would like to know who you are.

Popular posts from this blog

Hakka Mee aka Hakka Noodles

This is yet another one dish meal, Hakka Mee/Hakka Noodles. These noodles are quite similar to Won Ton Noodles, except that they  have less lye water and the noodles are a bit flat and thicker.  They're served with bean sprouts with a generous serving of minced meat sauce. the noodles, ........... need to loosen them up before cooking serve with chilli sauce topped with chopped garlic ..... that will do the trick ..... yummy! Recipe for Hakka Mee aka Hakka Noodles Ingredients 180 gm Minced Pork 60 gm Garlic  -  chopped 200 gm Bean Sprouts 4 dried Chinese mushrooms - soaked and diced 3/4 cup water 1 Tsp cornflour + 3 Tbsp of water 3 servings of Hakka noodles Oil for frying. Garnishing  -  Chopped spring onions Seasoning for minced pork 1/2 Tsp Salt 1  Tsp sugar 1  Tbsp  Fish sauce 1  Tsp dark soya sauce A dash of pepper Preparation Saute the chopped garlic with 1 Tbsp oil, fry till fragrant Add in the seasoned minced pork, diced mushroo

Double Boiled Herbal Chicken Soup

Double boiling is slow cooking ........ means to put a soup pot or any covered ceramic or steel pot inside a bigger pot, immerse in boiling water, and let the soup cook at a lower temperature.  Hence the soup is cooked from heat generated from the boiling water and not from direct heat source. Double boiling lets the soup ingredients slowly release their nutrients into the soup, thus making it tasty and wholesome.  It's a long cooking process, roughly averaging 2 to 4 hours.  The tip is not to open the cover to check on the soup as it'll bring down the temperature and affect the cooking process.  The plus point is there's little evaporation and the soup will not boil over.  The only thing is to monitor that there's enough water in the bigger pot and not let it run dry.  Of course, nowadays, the slow cooker is another alternative to double boiling, saves the hassle of checking the water level.

Herbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Gao

H erbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Ga o literally translated means 'Tortoise Jelly' is one of my family's favourite desserts.  It's much more economical to prepare this at home for you'll need to fork out between Rm 9 to Rm 11 for a bowl of this cooling dessert in any of those herbal tea outlets.  This soothing jelly, served chilled, is supposed to be able to help reduce our body heat, helps to get rid of toxins and is believed to be good for the skin thus culminating a healthier complexion.