Chinese New Year Lucky Food: Steamed Shanghai Rice Cake with Osmanthus (上海桂花年糕)

上海桂花年糕 (Shang Hai Gui Hua Nian Gao)

Nothing is more traditional than the steamed rice cake to celebrate Chinese new year in southern provinces of China. The pronunciation of rice cake (Nian Gao) is similar to "growing every year", which is a lucky word during the spring festival. This could mean your business, your fortune, your wisdom, your health, your luck, your relationship, etc.

I still remember the lovely warm atmosphere when the family gathered together and steamed the huge rice cake in a old fashioned oven in the country side of Shanghai. The wok to steam the cake is usually 2-3 feet wide.

Rice cake cab be made as dessert like this recipe, or they can be savory, such as stir fried or made as soup. Checkout more rice cake recipes. Or find traditional Chinese noodle dishes, delicious dumplings and wonton recipes.

Looking for more inspirations? Find more ideas in Recipes by Category.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. rice flour
• 1 lb. sticky rice flour
• 1/2 lb. sugar
• 18 Chinese dry dates
• 1/2 dry sweet pineapple
• 4 tablespoon sweet Osmanthus

Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Cooking Time:  50 minutes

Servings: 16

Cooking Steps
1. Take 18 Chinese dry dates, rinse clean, soak in a bowl of water for 1 hour. Drain, remove nut and cut into small bits. Get 1/4 lb dry sweet pineapple, cut into small bits.
    Note: use any dry fruit and nuts you like, for example, rasin, dry apricot, walnut, pine nuts, to add flavor and color to the rice cake.
2. Add 1 lb rice flour and 1 lb sticky rice flour to a large mixing bowl, mix evenly.
3. Get a large bowl, add 2 cups of hot water, add 1/2 lb sugar, use spoon to stir evenly to let the sugar completely dissolve. Pour the sugar water gradually to the rice flour, use spoon to stir the flour to distribute the water evenly. Use hand to break any big lumps into smaller bits.
    Note: The flour mix must stay moist and loose, it cannot be too wet or too dry. The loose texture of the flour will let the steam penetrate to fully cook the flour mix. If it is too wet, it will be very hard to steam to penetrate the flour, if it is too dry, then flour will not stick together to form a cake.

4. Add the Chinese dates and pineapple (and any varieties of dry fruits and nuts) and sweet Osmanthus to the rice flour, mix evenly.
5. Fill water to a large steamer, use a wet cloth to cover the upper layer, divide the flour mix into 4 portions. Spread 1 portion four mix evenly to the wet cloth, use high heat to steam for 5 minutes. Spread second portion on top of the first portion, steam for 5 minutes. Repeat this process for the rest of the portions. Steam for 30 minutes.
6. Take out the cake, let let cool down. Cut into 1-2 inch size cubes for easy consumption and storage.

    Note: Put in fridge or freeze for longer time storage. Steam before consumption.