There's a Kuih or Cake for every Zodiac Sign. What's yours? Check it out!
Why do we eat Nian Gao every Lunar New Year?
P.S. our Nian Gao is special, it is made with Pandan. Try this very fragrant Pandan Nian Gao recipe.
If you're born in the Year of the Ox i.e. those born in the year 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, and 2021, then your Kuih or Cake is Nian Gao.
In Chinese, the name of this glutinous rice cake "年年高" (niánnián gāo /nyen-nyen gaoww) sounds like "getting higher year on year". It is a lucky saying to invite positive connotations e.g. children's height increasing as they grow big and strong, a rise in business success, better grades in one's studies, promotions at work, your business becoming more prosperous etc.
So eat some Nian Gao.
Pandan Nian Gao Recipe by Lynn
A clever twist to the traditional Nian Gao by adding Pandan, making it so fragrant.
Ingredients
600 g Glutinous rice flour
600 ml Water
400 g Soft brown sugar
50 g White sugar
1 Tbsp Cooking oil
½ tsp Salt
Method
1. Place sugar, salt, Pandan Powder and water in a pot and bring to a gentle simmer or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it cool down completely.
2. Gradually pour the sugar mixture and oil into the flour and stir until smooth. If lumps persists, simply use a whisk to work through the lumps then pour into the prepared round steaming tin/pan that’s lightly oil on sides and bottom of the tin/pan for easier release later.
Traditional Nian Gao with brown sugar, Pandan Nian Gao and Pandan Angkoo which is also cooked during Chinese festivals including Lunar New Year.
Pandan Nian Gao - Steaming method
1. Simply use a wok by putting the tin/pan on the tri stand, fill wok with enough boiling hot water, cover with a wok lid and steam on high heat for 30 minutes and then lower the heat and steam for further 2 – 3 hours . You may need to refill the water in the wok throughout the cooking process. Don't let it dry out!
2. The nian gao will appear very soft at the end of cooking time and that’s normal. You need to let the nian gao cool down completely on the bench then wrap it up with gladwrap and refrigerate; it will be ready in 2 days. At day 3, the nian gao will be much more firm and can be sliced.
3. After day 3, wrap it up and keep them in either the refrigerator or in the freezer if you wish to keep it for longer for consumption later.
Enjoy Pandan Nian Gao with a warm cup of Pandan Tea and if you are gin lover, Pandan Gin, which we are not looking for distilleries and brewers who are interested to work with us. Do fill up the Wholesale/Trade enquiry from or simply contact us.
About Lynn - Me Myself and Lynn :
"Apa khabar tuan tuan dan puan puan 👐, I'm the Durian that met the Kiwi then married a half Yorkshire Pudding and half Tiramisu 🥰. My passion or perhaps these days more like obsession for cooking and baking started when I was barely tall enough to stand in front of the sink to do dishes 😂 but that didn't stop me from a thing called 'stool' to add those extra inches needed to give me the height to make the cut 😜.
My passion became therapy and intensify during my Uni years as a form of de - stress and pain management to regulate my breathing then from there it became an opportunity for a little pocket money making as a dirt poor Uni student especially with my baking which proves popular amongst friends of different ages and background.......then work life happens after graduating that occupied almost all of my time but I learnt to steal time here and there to continue with my passion which gradually in the last 3 or 4 years is and has turned into Food Art Projects with my Yorkshire Pudding/Tiramisu being my Guinea Pig or should I say Lab Mouse with all my creations straight out of my head which really rings my bell and tick all the boxes ❤ and my Yorkshire Pudding/Tiramisu is ever so supportive of my creations and passion. I'm the kinda self taught/amateur Baker that bakes by feel and can never quite conform to recipes......trust me I've tried, I really have but just keep finding myself completely dissected the recipe then abandoning it altogether 😂. Needless to say.....recipes and I can and will never be BFF ever! All my creations are through trials and with that; long story short, I would love to be able to collaborate with others and turn my cooking and baking passion/obsession into something tangible 🙌."
by: Lynn Sebastian
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