There are many different ways to prepareniángāo, and it can be either sweet or savoury, depending on which region you're from. I can't resist the sweet baked sticky rice cake with red bean paste, which is super quick and easy to make (and even quicker and easier to eat!). Although, I do also love stir fried savoury niángāo...
For this recipe, I made my own sweetened Red Bean Paste (Hong Dou Sha | 红豆沙). If you're short on time, pre-made tinned versions can usually be found in East Asian food markets, along with glutinous rice flour. Make sure you use glutinous rice flour and not normal rice flour, or you will not achieve the sticky texture. Glutinous here simply means sticky - this recipe is, in fact, gluten free.
This traditional treat is a sweet way to celebrate Chinese New Year. I hope you'll enjoy it, and 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái) - Congratulations and Happy New Year!
Ingredients: 450g glutinous rice flour 540ml milk 3 large eggs 215ml light vegetable oil 120g demerara sugar 425g sweetened red bean paste Butter for greasing
Directions:
Preheat oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Lightly grease a rectangular 9 x 13in (23 x 33cm) baking pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together, except for the red bean paste.
Mix well until thoroughly incorporated.
Pour half of the mix into the greased baking pan.
Drop spoonfuls of red bean paste evenly all over. I like to first flatten the red bean paste with my fingers before layering it onto the mixture, which makes it easier to cover fully.
Pour the remaining mixture over the red bean paste, and smooth it evenly across.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown on top.
Remove, and cool sufficiently before cutting into pieces and serving.
Baked Sticky Rice Cake with Red Bean Paste
(Hong Dou Kao Nian Gao | 红豆 烤年糕)
By Wendy | Serves 4
Now you can make this traditional Chinese New Year treat at home and enjoy it at any time of year!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Yield: 20 large or 35 bite-sized pieces
Course: Dessert, Pudding
Cuisine: Chinese
Tags: Nian Gao, Hong Dou, Red Bean, Adzuki, Chinese New Year
Ingredients
450g glutinous rice flour 540ml milk (I used full fat milk) 3 large eggs 215ml vegetable oil (I used flavourless coconut oil) 120g demerara sugar 425g sweetened red bean paste Butter for greasing
Method
Preheat oven to 180C / 160C Fan. Lightly grease a rectangular 9 x 13in (23 x 33cm) baking pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together, except for the red bean paste. Mix well until thoroughly incorporated.
Pour half of the mix into the greased baking pan.
Drop spoonfuls of red bean paste evenly all over. I like to first flatten the red bean paste with my fingers before layering it onto the mixture, which makes it easier to cover fully.
Pour the remaining mixture over the red bean paste, and smooth it evenly across.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes until golden brown on top.
Remove, and cool sufficiently before cutting into pieces and serving.
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