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Three Generations of Chinese New Year's Cake (Nian Gao)With Help from Mary Wang, Mena Wang, and Mrs. KubotaFrom an elaborate two-day production to the lightning-fast microwave approach, the methods of preparing Nian Gao may have changed across generations of the Wang family, but the sticky-sweet New Year's cake is still a savory culinary project for "a family that stick together."
Nian Gao, or Chinese New Year’s cake, is sweet and sticky and represents family cohesion (as in, the family that sticks together…) and rising fortune. Nian is a homonym for both sticky and year, and gao is a homonym for cake and to rise up. It is a must at Lunar New Year’s time to wish for a family that is stuck together and for good luck in the coming year. Some say that the higher the cake rises in the steamer, the higher family fortunes will rise in the coming year. Made of glutinous rice flour (also called sweet rice or sticky rice), "cake" is perhaps a misnomer. It is not light and airy like Western cakes (in Chinese, those are called egg cakes). Sometimes it is translated as "pudding," but that is not quite right, either. It is solid and heavy like a brick or fruitcake, but when it is warm, it is soft and creamy like melted caramel. It is similar to mochi. It can be either sweet or savory, and there are a multitude of different recipes from different regions. In the weeks leading up to the Lunar New Year, I always try out different recipes that I have found. With the theme of family running through these cakes, I thought it appropriate to introduce three recipes from three generations of my family. My grandmother’s is steamed and the most traditional; my mom’s is more cake-like, with eggs and milk, baked in an oven; and mine uses the modern marvel of microwave!
Grandmother Mary Wang's Nian Gao with Red Azuki Beans
Mix ingredients together by hand or with an electric mixer. Line a large bowl or two small ones with Saran Wrap. Make sure these bowls will fit in your steamer and have room to rise (before you fill them). Put a few red dates or seeds at the bottom of the bowl in a decorative pattern (this will be the top of the cake when you’re done). Fill bowls with batter. Place them in the steamer. Steam for 2-4 hours until done. The larger the bowl you use, the longer it will take to steam. The hardest part about steaming is making sure the pot doesn’t go dry. Keep adding water as it evaporates, but be careful not to splash water on the cakes when you do so. Cut into slices and eat warm, or pan fry the slices over low heat so that the outside gets browned and crisp and the inside melts. It freezes well, but it is best to slice it before you freeze it so that you can pan fry a few slices whenever you like, rather than having to wait for the whole cake to defrost and then trying to eat the whole cake at once. *Red Azuki Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tang)
Soak a package of red azuki beans in the morning. In the evening, bring the beans to a boil, then drain and rinse. Add more water. Bring the beans to a boil again, then turn off the heat. Let them soak overnight. On the second day, cook beans over low heat until they are done, 2-4 hours. Keep adding water as it evaporates. Add sugar to taste when beans are cooked and soft. If you don’t have time for the additional soaking, you could just cook them, but it will take longer. Also, the lower the heat at which you cook them, the more likely that the beans will hold their shape and not break down into red bean paste.
Mena Wang's Baked Nian GaoThis sweet, cake-like Nian Gao has a slightly sticky texture or bite to it. This is a good recipe if you don’t like standing over the stove worrying about the steamer boiling dry, if you don’t want to pan fry lots of pieces, or if you want to share with non-Asians who might be used to a more…cake-like cake.
Test for doneness by inserting a chopstick (this is Chinese New Year’s Cake after all)—if it comes out clean, it is done.
Frances' Microwave Nian Gao (adapted from Mrs. Kubota’s Microwave Mochi)This sweet and sticky dessert is light in texture, more like Mochi than like Nian Gao, but it is fast and easy and makes great use of our modern appliances.
Mix Mochiko and water. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Mix again. Add can of azuki beans. Microwave 2 more minutes. Mix again. That’s it. Pour dough into a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam (or oil and flour the pan with Mochiko). Pound dough with the end of a rolling pin to press it into the pan. Cool. Turn mochi out onto a well-floured (with Mochiko) cutting board. Cut the mochi into 2 inch squares with a well-floured (with Mochiko) knife or cleaver. Dust cut edges with more Mochiko to prevent sticking. Eat immediately, as it tastes best when it has not been refrigerated. To store, place the squares into a covered box or Ziploc bag. They freeze well. Or put squares into cupcake papers for a party. If you have to stack them, put saran wrap between the layers. Don’t let them touch as they are very sticky! If you do refrigerate or freeze them, you can pan fry them over low heat to lightly toast the sides and melt the insides into a mass of stickiness. Note: Be careful when you wash out your pans that you throw the leftover mochi dough into the trash, not down the drain. A friend from Japan tells me that at New Year’s time they have warnings in Japan about all the drain pipes getting clogged with sticky mochi dough. If a little does go down the drain, make sure to follow it with lots of hot water.
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