Chinese New Year Cake

Celebrate Chinese New Year! 'Fu' means luck. Placing character 'Fu' upside down is a tradition to symbolize it 'pouring out' or 'arriving. The Chinese word for 'fish' sounds exactly the same as the Chinese word for 'abundance' which means having more than you need of something. It symbolizes wealth and prosperity.

Vegan Potstickers (全素锅贴)

I tried to make vegan dumplings using this recipe. Like most Chinese cooking, the ingredients are for reference only. I did not follow it strictly either. It is all to your taste.

Ingredients

For the wrappers

All purpose flour - 3 1/2 cups

Tepid water - 1 cup + 2 TBSP

 (alternatively, you can just buy a package of pre-made dumpling wrappers):
For the filling

Oil - 3 TBSP + ¼ cup
Ginger - 1 TBSP, minced
Onion - 1 large, chopped
Fresh Shiitake mushrooms - 2 cups, chopped
Cabbage - 1 and 1/2 cups, finely shredded
Carrot - 1 and 1/2 cups, finely shredded
Chinese chives - 1 cup, finely chopped
White pepper - 1/2 tsp
Sesame oil - 2 tsp
Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) - 3 TBSP
Soy sauce - 2 TBSP
Sugar - 1 tsp
salt (to taste)

Yield about 60 dumplings

Steps

1. Start by making the dough for the dumpling wrappers. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the water to the flour and knead into a smooth dough. This process should take about 10 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for at least an hour.
2. In the meantime, make the filling. In a wok or large skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and add the ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the onions and stir-fry until translucent.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms and stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid released by the mushrooms has cooked off.

4. Add the cabbage and carrots and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, until the veggies are tender and all the liquid released has been cooked off. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.
4. To the bowl, add the chopped chives, white pepper, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Season with salt to taste (though the soy sauce will usually add enough salt to the filling), and stir in the last 1/4 cup of oil.

5. To assemble the dumplings, cut the dough into small tablespoon-sized pieces. Roll each out into a circle, and pleat the dumplings (Here is a step-by-step photos on how to fold a dumpling, I simply squeeze it in shape). Continue assembling until you've run out of filling and/or dough.

6. To pan-fry, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes. 

7. Pour a layer of water into the pan (about 1/4 of the dumplings height), cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow dumplings to steam until the water has evaporated. 

8. Remove the cover, increase heat to medium-high and allow to fry for a few more minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp.

Layered Matcha and Red Bean Rice Cake(抹茶红豆年糕)

A pretty rice cake for Chinese New Year, following a YouTube video. 

Ingredients

Glutinous rice flour - 750g

Rice flour - 75g

Butter - 37g 

Sugar - 225g

Sweeten red bean (蜜红豆) - 150g

Matcha powder - 1.5 TBSP

Water - 300ml+375ml+ 270-300ml

Steps

1. In a sauce pot, add 300ml water, sugar and butter, heat up until the sugar is melt.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour and rice flour, pour in the hot sugar water. Stir.

3. Mix in 375ml cold water

4. Prepare another 270-300ml cold water, slowly add in batches until the batter is well mixed and can flow freely.

5. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 375F

7. Grease a 9"x13" glass baking dish with cooking spray

8. Pour out 2/3 batter to mix in matcha powder and mix well. 

 

9. Pour half of the Matcha batter in the baking dish. Bang the pan a few times to remove air bubbles. Water bath bake at 375F to 12-15 min. Cover the top of pan with aluminum foil during bake.

10. Pour more than half of the white batter in the pan. Use spatula to smooth the surface. Spread the red bean in, then add the remaining white batter. Use spatula to smooth. Water bath Bake 375F to 12-15 min

11. Pour the remaining Matcha batter in the pan. Use spatula to smooth the surface. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and then water bath bake 375F for 45 min-1 hour.

12. Let the cake cool completely and then slice and serve. Can keep it refrigerated until ready to serve.

Red Bean Rice Cake with Brown Sugar(红糖红豆年糕)

This is based on the steamed rice cake with brown sugar with brown sugar, with addition of sweetened red beans.

Steamed Red Bean Rice Cake(红豆年糕)

Used sugar instead of brown sugar to get the red and white contrast.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice flour - 1 bag (1 lb)
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Pork lard/Clarified butter (or old for vegan) - 2 TBSP
Water - 2 cup
Sweetened red bean - 3/4 cups

Steps

1. Boil 1 cup of water, lard and sugar in a pot until the sugar is fully dissolved. Let the sugar solution cool.
2. Mix glutinous rice flour and rice flour, add sugar water, and add 1 cup of cold water, and mix well. If the batter is too sticky, add some water.
3. In a steamer, add 1/4 batter, steam for 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup sweetened red bean, add 1/4 batter, steam for 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup red bean, add 1/4 batter, steam for 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup red bean, add 1/4 batter.

4. Steam the whole rice cake for 1-2 hours.
5. Store cake in refrigerator for 1 - 2 days for the cake to set.

6. Slice to put in sweet soup or pan fry to serve.

Osmanthus Sticky Rice Cake

This is same recipe with the Black Sesame Sticky Rice Cake I made few years ago, with different flavoring.

Ingredients:

Glutinous rice flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 -2/3 cup
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 1 and 1/2 TBSP
Dried Osmanthus - 1 TBSP

Steps:

1. Whisk glutinous rice flour, rice flour, dried osmanthus, and sugar in a microwaveable bowl. Then add water and oil. Stir until smooth.

2. Microwave the barter on high for 2 minutes, take out and stir. Microwave again for a minute and stir. Repeat until the dough turns transparent and fully cooked
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. On a clean surface, place a large piece of plastic wrap and transfer cooked dough on one end. Lift the other half of wrap to cover the dough and knead it. Open the wrap, fold the dough, then cover with the wrap and knead again. Repeat a few more times until the dough is smooth and well mixed.

4. Shape the dough into logs. Wrap and place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. Then slice and serve.

Gold Coin Bakkwa (金钱肉干)

Bakkwa is a Chinese salty-sweet dried meat product similar to jerky. It originated from the Fujian province in China where it is considered a Hokkien delicacy. It traditionally takes the form of thin square slices. The Gold coin shaped ones are made during Chinese New year for good luck and prosperity.

Ingredients

Grounded Pork - 1 lb (40% fat)
Fish Sauce (鱼露) - 2 TBSP
Red Yeast Rice Powder (红糟) - 1 tsp
Soy Sauce - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
A little oil for spreading or using a bottle of oil spray

Steps

1. Mixed all the ingredients listed using a spatula and stir at one direction to form a sticky paste ( I used stand mixer with paddle attachment to mix). Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour to marinate.
2. Grease a small muffins baking tray ( I have one with 48 cavities, perfect for this project). Place about 1 tsp of minced meat in the muffin cup, lightly press to flatten the minced meat to about 3 mm in thickness. Repeat to fill all the cups.

3. Place the pan in the oven and broil the meat for 5 minutes, there is no need to preheat oven. Take the meat out with the help of a tong.

4. Place the cooked coins on a cookie sheet with bottom up, nd broil at high for 2 minutes. Wait until the coins are cooled before serving.

Homemade Nian Gao (水磨年糕)

Nian Gao and Mochi are similar products made from rice, except the type of rice used. This is adapted from Amada's attempt to mimic the traditional way using Vitamix. 

Ingredients

Rice - 4 cups

Glutinous rice - 2 cups

You can adjust the ratio of these two types of rice. The more glutinous rice, the sticker and softer the Nian Gao. If you want more chewy ones for stir fry, you should have more rice.

Steps

1. Soak the rice in water for 4 hours or overnight.

2. Use Vitamix at high speed to blend the rice into rice paste.

3. Pour rice paste in cheese cloth bag and hang overnight to remove excess water.

4. Fill the rice dough in a well greased pan to steam for 40 minutes.

5. Amanda's recipe said to pound the cooked rice dough. I skipped this and just put the dough in stand mixer with a dough hook to knead it.

6. Divide and roll the dough so that they can be individual wrapped. Store in refrigerator to let it harden.

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7. To serve, unwrap a roll, slice it for stir-fried Nian Gao. Or my favorite way to eat is to steam the whole roll, and dip it in sugar. 

Homemade Mochi (糍粑)

Traditional way to make Mochi is to place steamed glutinous rice in a mortar, then pound it into sticky rice dough. See this video. The Mochi made from the Glutinous rice powder just do not have the same chewy texture. To save my arms, I used the Kitchen Aid to do the heavy lifting. This did limit how much rice I could make in one setting since the rice became very sticky and required the mixer to work hard.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice - 1 lb
Hot water - approx 1/2 cup

Steps

1. Soak rice overnight.

2. Steam rice over high heat for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

3. Transfer cooked rice to stand mixer right away. Use the dough hook to mix at low speed for about 10 minutes or until you get a sticky dough. Add the hot water in batches, if needed.

4. Put the sticky rice dough onto an greased surface, and use a greased pestle (I used a steak hammer) to pound the dough. The more you pound it, the smooth the dough. Do it until you are satisfied with the texture, or too tired to continue.

5. Fresh Mochi can be served right away by.

- Boil brown sugar and water, with 2:1 ratio, in small pot until sugar is melt.

- Roll small balls of mochi in cooked soy bean power.

- Then put the coated rice balls into sugar water. Serve warm

6. To store the mochi, let it air dry for about 1 day. Then wrap with shrink wrap to store in container.

When you are ready to eat, slice it and pan-fry it. Can serve with sugar or other dipping.