Lunar New Year may be over but it is just about the right time to enjoy some yummy niao gao, dip in flour and egg batter and deep fry to a crispy coat on the outside; and gooey, almost melt-in-the-mouth texture on the inside. Yum! I guess nian gao is something that is eaten only during Lunar New Year, same goes for Yusheng (both my fav for Lunar New Year goodies). Thus, I tend to over-indulge a little.
Traditionally, the Chinese buy or make this sticky and sweet glutinous rice flour cake to symbolise growth and prosperity (I think). Fresh nian gao is soft and very sticky and people rarely eat it this way. Since young, I always look forward to after Lunar New Year when the nian gao turns hard and mum would make deep fried nian gao, sometimes sandwiched with slices of sweet potato and yam.
This year, I want to try my own ultimate deep fried nian gao! But how? Tried asking relatives, tasted nian gao by different households, searched online recipes posted by bloggers, flipped through magazines... different recipes yield different texture and results.
Finally settled on 5 different batters.
- Mix the flours and egg
- Add ice water and mix to a smooth batter (not too runny or dry. Mum's way to test consistency - a figure of 8 written using chopstick stays for a while before blending into batter)
- Some recipes call for oil and salt
- Cut nian gao into thin slices
- Dip nian gao into batter before carefully dropping into hot oil
- Deep fry on low fire until light golden brown on both sides.
Batter 1 - adapted from recipe in Food and Travel magazine Feb 2008 issue.- 65 g plain flour
- 25 g rice flour
- 80 ml ice water
- 1 egg
- 1/8 tsp salt
Batter 2 - adapted from Cheat Eat- 50 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 45 ml ice water
- 1 tsp oil
Batter 3 - relative's recipe- 50 g cake flour
- 1 egg
- 35 ml ice water
Batter 4 - adapted from Club CSC website.- 100 g rice flour
- 45 g top flour
- 20 g corn flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 egg
- 110 - 120 ml ice water
Batter 5 - adapted from knowingfood.com- 2 tbsp corn flour
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- 1 egg
- 1/8 tsp salt
Both hubby and I prefer batter 4 since the crust remains crispy even when the nian gao turns cold. Batter 5 is ok as well, but not 1,2 and 3 as these turn soft and chewy after a while.
But I just can't seem to replicate the same nostalgic deep fried nian gao taste that I remember fondly as a child. Could be the ingredients or the amount of ingredient used. Anyway, I'm happy for now.
Although the presentation looks pretty humble and is different from what I tried at Marmalade Pantry, it tasted rich with a moist texture. And is really easy to make. I love it!
Dense dark bittersweet Valrhona Chocolate with Grand Marnier. There are many ways of presenting dessert as demonstrated - in a large bowl, garnished with chocolate shavings and raspberries.
Or in chic looking expresso cups or mini glass (candle holder in fact).
Variation from the chocolate pots - a light & rich chocolate mousse which can be piped into store-bought tart cases lined with dark chocolate and topped with rasberry and icing sugar.
With gold leaves and gold dust - definitely impressive enough to create an impression if you are serving this to guests.
Or better still, serve the mousse in a martini glass. Anything served in a martini glass creates a wow factor it seems.
And of course, the cooked version egg nog, supposedly a rich creamy Christmas drink garnished with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. I love the creamy richness of the milk, cream and egg. The rum and spices add depth to the drink and I confess I'm quite hooked. 
With cupcakes as luxurious as these, who could resist them?
The fondant snowman and penguin make such a cute couple :D I think they would certainly be favourites among the kids.
Even a simple dusting of icing sugar in the shape of a snowflake fetches amazing results. Or dress up a cupcake with dried fruits and nuts to make a Christmas fruit cake.
The pita wedges were served warm and quite light and chewy. The dips were a little odd though, some minty cucumber yogurt and curried vegetable like masala. A little regret; perhaps I should have ordered something else like a foie gras burger or scrambled eggs & sausages on toast with field mushrooms. In fact, I was going for the miso baked tofu with vegetable tempura & ginger soy but it was sold out.
Writing this blog makes me crave for the pudding now... In fact, I'm googling for recipes to see if I can try baking it at home.
