The one factor higher than a superb recipe? When one thing’s really easy you don’t even want one. Welcome to It’s That Easy, a column the place we speak you thru the dishes and drinks we are able to make with our eyes closed.
Billions of Asians, myself included, are fortunate to have Lunar New Yr in our lives. Not solely can we indulge within the festive treats of December, however after a brief restoration session, we’re again in motion, craving tasty dishes in celebration of a very powerful pageant on the calendar: Spring Pageant, a.okay.a Lunar New Yr (which falls on January 22 this yr).
A lot of the meals eaten throughout Lunar New Yr is symbolic. There are a lot of must-have gadgets that carry luck to those that open their mouths to eat, eat, and eat some extra. Dumplings promise wealth within the upcoming yr, and if you’d like abundance and prosperity, there have to be a complete fish on the desk. Sweets are equally as vital and, in the case of Lunar New Yr, I’m glad with no different dessert besides this quintessential staple: nian gao (年糕).
Nian gao interprets to “sticky cake” and, to the untrained eye, this squishy, mildly candy, rice flour deal with might look unassuming. However its simplicity makes it one in every of a sort. Traditionally talking, nian gao has many lores: It repelled monsters, and was invented as a bribe to historic kitchen gods; the sticky cake sealed their lips so tightly that they couldn’t disclose housewives’ secrets and techniques to nosy neighbors.
It doesn’t matter what mystic story you’ve heard, thousands and thousands of Asians and Asian Individuals grew up with the brown sugar nian gao discovered in lots of Asian grocery shops round Lunar New Yr. You too can discover variations on the standard nian gao can with coconut, pandan, purple bean paste, and black sesame added to the combo. I can by no means determine which model I like greatest, so I normally make all of them.
Though conventional nian gao recipes name for the muffins to be steamed in a bamboo steamer for a minimum of an hour, you’ll be able to bake them as a substitute. Whereas ornamental aluminum molds make for lovely nian gao, they will prepare dinner up simply as nicely in an everyday muffin tine. Baking nian gao comparatively new methodology of making ready them, however adored by many as a result of the recent oven creates a crackly, golden brown crust.
Right here’s tips on how to make Baked Nian Gao:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Get out ornamental aluminum molds or a muffin tin. You’ll be able to grease them or not; leaving the ornamental molds ungreased yields a extra distinct sample.
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup darkish brown sugar and 1 cup canned coconut milk (give the can a superb shake earlier than opening and measuring). Combine till the sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, pour in 2 cups glutinous rice flour. Make a nicely within the middle, then add 1 overwhelmed egg. Slowly whisk within the sugar-coconut milk combination. Stir to mix and add in ¼ cup impartial oil (like vegetable oil or refined coconut oil). In order for you, you’ll be able to combine in 1 15-oz. can sweetened purple beans. The consistency ought to be near a unfastened pancake batter and simply pourable—add a splash of water if it appears too thick.
Pour the nian gao batter into your pan of alternative. Bake for about 40 minutes, till a skewer comes out batter-free. Will probably be sticky—it’s sticky cake, in any case—however there shouldn’t be any moist batter on it. (It corporations up upon standing, so don’t concern a bit of little bit of jiggle.) Let the muffins cool fully within the molds earlier than eradicating. In an hermetic container, these maintain for as much as three days.
