Post & Recipe in English and Chinese + Demo Video (中英食谱加视频)
Activate the elevation and promotion of your wealth and position/ status in life by making your own Nian Gao in this lunar new year! 年糕，年高，年年高升!
MyWokLife
Nian Gao or 年糕 : What is the significance
Yes. Nian Gao, also known as Chinese New Year’s cake, holds both culinary and symbolic significance in Chinese culture during the Lunar New Year. This sweet, sticky rice cake is crafted from glutinous rice flour and sugar, earning its name ‘Nian Gao,’ which translates to ‘year cake’ in Mandarin.
Nian Gao is significant for its symbolism of growth, progress, and prosperity. The word “Gao” sounds like “high” or “tall” in Mandarin, representing a wish for improvement and success in the coming year. The sticky nature of the cake is also believed to seal the Kitchen God’s mouth, preventing him from saying bad things about the family when he ascends to heaven to report on the household’s activities.
In terms of preparation, Nian Gao can be steamed or fried, and variations can be seen across different regions in China. Some versions are sweet, often containing red bean paste or dates, while others are savory, incorporating ingredients like taro or Chinese sausage.
Is it easy to make Nian Gao 年糕 at home ?
Nian Gao is not only a culinary delight but also a popular gift exchanged during the Lunar New Year. Families relish this sweet tradition, making it a cherished part of the festive season.
It’s definitely easy to make your own Chinese New Year sweet sticky cake. Simple ingredients needed, simple steps to follow, and best thing is, you get to adjust the sweetness and texture of the sticky cake on your own.
I made it without any hassle, and you can too! Join me by following this easy and tasty recipe.
制作年糕绝对不难。简单的材料，容易的步，更好的是，你可以自己调整年糕的甜度和口感。
一点也不麻烦，你也可以轻易地做出来！就按照我简单又美味的食谱来做吧。
Nian Gao 年糕 Ingredients
Yields 4 medium sized cakes
Ingredients
200g dark palm sugar (Gula Malacca)
150g molasses sugar (Black sugar)
250ml water
280g glutinous rice flour
80g wheat starch
Equipments:
4 medium cans
2 large sheets of banana leaf
材料
200克 椰糖
150克 黑糖
250ml 水
280克 水磨糯米粉
80克 澄面粉
器材:
4個 中型空罐頭
2大片 芭蕉葉
My Video on YouTube for the The Making of Nian Geo 年糕
Watch my video demo: The Making of Nian Gao and subscribe :)
Chinese New Year Sweet Sticky Cake : Nian Gao 年糕 Cooking Method
(1) Boil banana leaves till soften. Pat dry, cut and line the banana leaf in the empty can with excess leaf exposed outside the can. Fold and tie the excess lead on the outer. *See video for demo. Line a few layers for each can. Set aside for later.
(2) Bring water to a slow boil. Dissolve palm sugar and molasses. Heat off and cool till easy to handle.
(3) Mix the flour and starch. Sieve twice. Add warm sugar syrup into flour mixture in batches. Stir gentle to combine.
(4) Sieve the brown batter to filter out any lumps. Divide batter among the cans. Cover top with aluminum foil. Transfer over to steamer and steam on high heat for about 30 minutes. Then, reduce heat to medium fire, continue steaming for 1 hour. Check water level half way to avoid steamer from drying up.
(5) Test diners by inserting a skewer. It is done when skewer comes out almost clean. Heat off. Remove foil and top a red date on the cake. Cover foil back and let the heat continue the steaming for another 10 minutes before removing from steamer to cool completely.
(6) Remove cooled cake from can. Trim away excessive leaf around the edges. Decorate the Nian Gao, and present it during Chinese New Year celebration for auspicious symbolization.
年糕 做法
（1）将芭蕉叶煮软。擦干后，修剪并将芭蕉叶铺在空罐中。罐外留些许露出的叶子，包扎在罐外并绑住。 *请参考视频演示。每个罐子需铺上2-3层蕉叶。备用。
（2）将水和糖煮沸溶解。熄火待稍凉直易于处理就行。
（3）将糯米粉和澄粉混合。筛两次。将温糖浆分批加入混合粉中。搅拌均匀成糊状。
（4）过滤掉棕色面糊里的颗粒。将滑面糊倒入模具罐中。用铝箔紧盖顶部，再转移到蒸锅里，大火蒸约30分钟。然后，用中火继续蒸1小时。半途检查水位，以避免锅里的水干涸掉。
（5）完成后，插入叉子来测试熟度。串出来的叉子几乎干净就行了。熄火。去掉铝箔，在年糕上放一颗红枣（寓意鸿运当头）。再盖上铝箔，让蒸气继续焖10分钟，然后从蒸笼中取出，待凉。
（6）从罐中连同蕉叶取出年糕。剪去边缘多余的叶子，再装饰年糕。为农历新年带来您亲手制作的吉祥食品。
More MyWokLife Tips on Making Nian Gao or 年糕
For a less chewy texture, consider reducing or omitting the wheat starch. Be cautious, as without wheat starch, the cake may harden when cooled. Yet, if deep-fried, it will regain a molten appearance.
However, if your plan is to pan-fry the sweet cake alone, without additional ingredients like sweet potato and taro slices, I recommend keeping the wheat starch to maintain its shape during the pan-frying process.
想做出质感较硬实的年糕，您可以减少或省略澄粉。没有澄粉成份，年糕冷却后会变硬。然而，当你切开沾面糊油炸时，它会再次变软融化的。
但如果你不打算油炸或加切片蕃薯和芋头夹心食用，而只想纯粹把年糕片煎一煎来吃的话，我建议保留澄粉。这样才不会在煎的时候糊掉。吃起来也较有口感和韧性。
Tips: The making of Nian Gao is completely versatile. You can use any type of sugar, any type of liquid, eg milk or coconut milk, instead of water.
温馨小贴士：制作年糕是没有固定的模式的。你可以使用任何种类的糖，任何液体，如牛奶或椰奶，来代替水。你喜欢就好。
If you like this dish, do look at my other Chinese New Year dishes too
Such as the easy to prepare “Pen Cai” recipe.
Or watch my appearance on Mediacorp programme “Just Cook It” :)
Subscribe to my Social Pages
Do subscribe to my page in Instagram. Or Facebook Page Or YouTube Channel too.