Chinese New Year cake (nian gao)

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 300 g brown sugar and 380 g water in a saucepan, heat over medium and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved, then turn off the heat and let it cool completely. The syrup must be cool before mixing; if it is still hot, the glutinous rice flour will cook into lumps. The syrup is right when it is clear and deep brown with no sugar grains left at the bottom of the pan.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Blanch 30 g banana leaves in boiling water to soften them, wipe them dry and line an 18 cm round pan so the leaves cover the bottom and come up the sides, then brush a thin layer of to taste vegetable oil over the leaves. The banana leaves keep the cake from sticking and add a gentle fragrance. The pan is right when the leaves lie flat, untorn, and cover every corner.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Mix 450 g glutinous rice flour with 30 g wheat starch, gradually pour in the cooled syrup while whisking, and finally add 25 g vegetable oil. The wheat starch makes the cake less sticky on your teeth and gives it a glossier surface. The batter is right when it is as smooth as condensed milk, pours in an unbroken stream and has no dry flour left.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Strain the batter through a sieve into the lined pan and skim any bubbles off the surface with a spoon. Straining removes any remaining lumps so the cake steams up smooth. The batter is right when the surface is still, glossy and free of tiny bubbles.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Cover the top of the pan with a sheet of foil, set it in a steamer over rapidly boiling water and steam for about two and a half hours, topping up the pot with boiling water every thirty minutes. Long steaming cooks the glutinous rice all the way to the center and turns the sugar a deep amber. The cake is done when the top turns a deep, translucent brown and a chopstick inserted in the center comes out with no cloudy white batter.

   Suggested time: about 150 minutes. High heat.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   As soon as the cake comes out of the steamer, gently press 30 g pitted dates, cut in half, onto the top in a flower pattern and sprinkle with 5 g toasted white sesame seeds. The top is still hot and sticky, so the garnish stays put right away. It is right when the garnish sinks in slightly without denting the surface.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Let the cake cool in the pan at room temperature for at least twelve hours, or overnight, before turning it out to slice. Glutinous rice cakes need a long time to set, and cutting too early makes them stick to the knife and lose their shape. The cake is ready when it feels firm and springy and comes away from the banana leaves easily.

   Suggested time: about 720 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done