Chinese Rice Cakes Chao Nian Gao Food

CHINESE RICE CAKES - CHAO NIAN GAO

Steps:

• Mix all the sauce ingredients together, then set aside.
• Place the rice cakes in a medium bowl, and add water to cover. Let soak for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. They won't be soft to the touch yet, but this will help them soften up when you cook them.
• In a large skillet or wok, heat a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until browned and any liquid that the mushrooms have exuded has evaporated. Add the onion, garlic and cabbage; saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are slightly translucent and the cabbage is wilted.
• Drain the rice cakes. Add the rice cakes, sauce and fish cakes. Saute until the rice cakes are chewy (they'll look less matte, but you can also taste one), the sauce coats everything, and the fish cakes are warmed through. Serve hot.

STICKY CAKE (NIAN GAO)

Steps:

• Prepare the wok for steaming.
• In a bowl, mix the boiling water and the sugar, stirring to dissolve.
• Cool. Soak the Chinese dates in hot water for at least 30 minutes to soften. (You can also
• soften them quickly by placing them in a bowl with water and microwaving on high heat for
• 30 seconds). Cut the dates in half and remove the pits.
• Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and stir in the sugar and water mixture. Add the milk and begin shaping the dough. Add 1 tablespoon of
• water to the dough at a time, until you have a smooth dough with a satiny texture. Incorporate 1/2 - 3/4 of the Chinese dates, nuts or other dried fruit as you are adding water and working with the dough.
• Grease a 7-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil or a non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough in the cake pan and spread it out to the edges. Decorate with the remaining
• dates, lightly pushing them into the dough. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
• Steam the cake over medium-high to high heat for 45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake pull away from the pan. Remove the cake from the heat and cool.
• Use a knife to loosen the edges, then remove the cake. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate overnight.
• To serve: Cut the cake into quarters, and then into thin slices 2 - 3 inches long and 1/4-inch wide. You can serve the cake as is, or reheat it in the microwave (the amount of time will depend on the size and power of your microwave - start with 10 seconds and then microwave an extra 5 seconds if needed) or re-steam it for 4 - 5 minutes.
• You can also pan-fry the cake, dipping the cake slices in an egg wash before frying. Use a small amount of oil so that the cake will not taste oily. Heat the oil on medium-high to high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and brown the cake slices briefly on both sides.

CHINESE RICE CAKES

Steps:

• If your rice has any large items (like whole shrimp) pull these out and chop into small pieces. Add back to rice.
• Put rice in a mixing bowl. Add egg, and mix to coat rice. If the rice is not well coated, add another egg.
• Stir in flour. The mixture should be fairly loose, but not runny.
• Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Drop the rice mixture by tablespoons into hot oil. Gently flatten each spoonful with the back of a spoon, so that it is about 1/4 inch thick.
• Cook until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.
• Remove to a rack covered with paper towels to drain any excess oil.
• Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce, or cool completely before adding to your bento box.