This is one of my favourite times of the year: Chinese New Year. On February 3rd the Year of the Rabbit begins. Chinese New Year is a little different from the western, January 31st New Year's celebration. The focus for Chinese celebrations is on family, and the cohesiveness of family.
Food is crucial to the celebration. At the top of the list is the New Year's Cake
Neen Gow. I love this cake, which by western standards doesn't really resemble cake. The brown slab sugar (
peen tong) makes it sweet and the colour of toffee. The glutinous rice flour makes it ooey-gooey inside. Once the sugar slabs are melted and mixed with the flour, it's steamed for 45 minutes. After it cools it's sliced (about 1cm thick). The slices are dipped in egg, sprinkled with sugar, then fried to give them the soft gooey center. Think of a peice of McIntosh Toffe and you've got the idea.
The really important thing about
Neen Gow is that it's made with
glutinous rice flour which represents the cohesiveness of the family and absolutely must be eaten at this time of year.
Last year I made my first ever New Year's Cake and it was a huge success. Even my mother-in-law was impressed! You can get the slab sugar (be careful not to get the 'rock candy sugar') and the glutinous rice flour in any Chinese grocer. If you live near a TNT, just go there...in fact you can buy the cake there (all you have to do is dip it in egg and fry it). BUT for the more adventurous at heart, check out Grace Young's recipe on
Epicurious. While we're talking about it check out Grace Young's cookbook / memoir
The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen...the source of the recipe.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
