Red Bean Rice Cake (Nian Gao) from Scratch | 自磨米漿紅豆年糕
Red bean rice cake (Nian Gao) is one of the must-haves during Chinese new year. This dish is made 100% of rice, and it is easier than it sounds! It is a delicious treat of sweet, soft and gooiness with the aroma of red bean(also called azuki bean). We enjoy it by frying it until it turns golden crispy on the outside and drizzle with some condensed milk, it is a taste from heaven.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr40 minutesmins
Total Time2 hourshrs10 minutesmins
Course: Dessert, Rice, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese, Vegetarian
Servings: 5People
Author: Choochoo-ca-Chew
Ingredients
Rice Cake
1/2CAzuki Bean (Red Bean)
1CWater
1-1/2CShort Grain Sticky RiceYou can also use 2C and omit the long grain
1/2CLong Grain Sticky Rice
1CBrown Sugar
Deep Fry Batter
1/2CWater
1/2CFlour
1/4tspSalt
Instructions
Rice Cake Prep
Cover the rice with water soak overnight. (or at least 5 hours, this helps with blending the rice finer, especially with cheaper blenders.)For better workflow, I'd start the soaking in the morning before leaving the house. Then come back and blend it, strain the rice milk.
Blend the soaked rice with water until it's fine and you can't feel large grains anymore.
Strain the rice milk into a fine piece of cotton fabric, tie it up and place on a rack with something to catch the water underneath. Layer a flat plate or cookie sheet on top of the bag of rice milk then put something heavy on it, leave overnight. This is to remove all the access water in the rice milk, leaving only the rice powder.
As you strain the rice milk, cover the red beans with water in a separate bowl, soak overnight.
Rice Cake Making
After 8 hours or more, drain the water the red beans are soaking in and add 1C of water, cook over the stove/instant pot/rice cooker until soft and smashable with a fork. Depending on the method, it'll take anywhere from 30mins to 1.5hour.
Remove the rice "cake" into a mixing bowl, add 1C of brown sugar and mix.
Drain the red beans and add the beans to the rice cake mixture, mix well. The mixture should start turning into a liquid like texture.
Grease a nonstick loaf pan or line one with parchment paper. Pour the rice cake mixture into the pan.
Steam the rice cake on full heat for 1 hour.
Let cool and remove from pan.
Slice and enjoy or fry with batter until golden and crsipy!