Skip to main content

Fried 'Nian Gao' ~ Revisited ~ CNY 2011



'Nian Gao' is a very auspicious item and a must-have during CNY.  Each year, we eat this sticky rice cake as it's symbolic ......'Nin Ko' in Cantonese which literally sounds like 'every year rising or prosper'!  Now tell me, who doesn't wish for achievement and promotion  in their career, prosperity in business, good luck, wealth and excellent health to usher in the New Year?  It's a unanimous Yes, we all do ............







Once the batter can coat the back of the spoon, then it's of the right consistency.








There are other ways of eating this Nin Ko.  You can just steam it till soft, make into small balls and roll them in fresh young coconut mixed with a pinch of salt.  But I chose to reprise this post, that is  to deep-fry them as I adopted the batter recipe from my  Prawn Fritters  post.  I like this as the 'crust' stays crunchy and crispy over a longer period of time.  The orange coloured sweet potatoes make them look more yummy  ......mmmm!

Ingredients
  • 1 Big Nin Ko - cut into 1/4 inch thickness
  • 3 pieces sweet potatoes  - cut into 1/4 inch thickness
Batter
  • 2 oz Self-raising flour
  • 1 oz Cornflour
  • 1 Tbsp Rice flour
  • 1/2  tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2  tsp salt
  • 100 ml water
  • 1.1/2  Tbsp oil
Method
  1. Mix all the flours and salt together thoroughly
  2. Gradually pour in the water and mix to a smooth batter.  If the batter can coat the back of the metal spoon, then it's of the right consistency.
  3. Add in the oil and mix well.  Let batter sit for 30 mins.
  4. Meanwhile, heat up enough oil in a wok, put droplets of batter into the oil and if they sizzle, then the oil is ready.  Lower to medium heat.
  5. Sandwhich a piece of  Nin Ko with 2 pieces of sweet potatoes, coat with the batter and gently with the spoon and a pair of long chopsticks, lower the sandwhich into the oil.
  6. Deep fry and flip over from side to side till the sandwhich is golden  brown.
  7. Take out, drain and place them on kitchen absorbent paper to absorb the oil.
  8. Serve warm.


I'm sending this post to  Muhibbah Malaysian Monday.  Do check it out  'here'!

Comments

  1. this is my favorite!! i can finish the whole plate by myself! haha! very beautifully done Cheah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love fried Nin Ko. In Singapore, it is hard to get a good one. What I was told worthy to eat is only ONE shop selling it and it is a long q to buy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This year my mom forgotten give me a 'nian gao', eatable ones. I only buy those at the supermarket for praying, had never eat them before. Probably, check out my in-laws' place if they've the leftover. They don't eat much. Another few more days to go before the end of New Year days. Enjoy & have a lovely day.
    Cheers, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  4. My favorite way of eating nian gao too, I sometimes sandwich the nian gaou with a piece of yam and a piece of sweet potato...delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yummy! I don't make them this year...now I kinda miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mmm, my favourite way to eat Nin Ko. Didn't go look for any this year and too busy to make some. Ah well, never mind. Wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous year of the tiger Aunty Cheah.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I still prefer this traditional way of fried nian ngo. Your intact look really crispy and good. Happy Valentine to you!
    For me , today is a normal day,hehehe.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nian gao is truly my favourite! I love it simply fried in egg. But not too much egg. Just till it's crispy brown on the outside and soft on the inside. My mom loves it with the sweet potato but I only take it plain. Yours look delicious though! Will have to try it with batter one day :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Drooling over your nian gao . Mine still sitting in the fridge :) Have to fry them soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I did not have any Nian Gao this year.....:(

    ReplyDelete
  11. my mum and mil also will fried nian gao every yr, I dun really like it cos too sweet :P

    ReplyDelete
  12. j3ss kitch3n
    Thank you, but I can't settle for more than 3, very filling!

    Penny
    So sorry to hear that. My girl bought 1 from China town.

    Edith
    Oh really, in Ipoh we can get fried nin ko whole year round, from some stalls selling the 'yau char kwai' and 'ham chin peng'.

    Kristy
    Those from the supermarkets, best not to eat them, think they put in lots of preservatives. Price has increased for the nin ko this year.

    Jeannie
    Yes I like it with yam and potato too but need to get yam that's 'creamy' and not 'crunchy'.

    Angie
    Oh, so you DIY nin ko? I know MaryMoh does it too.

    Shaz
    If you don't see it you won't miss it. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sonia
    Thank you, it's crispy.

    Sharon
    Yes, sweet potato is one of your mum's favourite. She can make good nin ko too. Sometimes when I'm lazy I fry with egg too.

    Elin
    They keep well in the fridge. You can wait till your piggies come back for short hols, then fry for them.

    tigerfish
    Oh, what a pity you'r so faraway!

    Jess
    You're lucky that you don't need to stand the heat and get to enjoy them!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, Are in able to provide the flour in gm instead of oz? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can check out the Conversion Calculator at the bottom left corner of the page. Thank you.

      Delete

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.