How to Make Chinese Sticky Cake
Many Chinese believe in Tsao Chun, the Chinese kitchen guardian who is said to return to the heavens at the end of the year to report on the actions of families during the prior year. If his report is negative, bad luck befalls the family the following year, but if the report is good, the luck will be good. One tradition says preparing traditional Chinese sticky cakes either bribes the guardian to give a good report or else makes his mouth too sticky to report anything negative.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 Chinese dried red dates
- Bowl
- Knife
- 11 ounces peen tong
- Vegetable oil
- 8-inch souffle dish
- Paper towel
- 7 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
- Steamer
- Plastic wrap
- Egg
- Wok
Instructions
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1
Place 3 Chinese dried red dates in a bowl with 1/4 cup cold water. Leave the dates to soak until soft. This usually takes about half an hour. Remove the date pits and throw them away. Cut the dates in half lengthwise. Set them aside.
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2
Cut 11 ounces of peen tong into 40 pieces. Peen tong is a brown candy available at Chinese markets. Eleven ounces is generally equivalent to five slabs of candy. Pour 2 cups boiling water over the cut-up peen tong. Leave the candy to dissolve and cool off.
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3
Place 2 tsp. vegetable oil into an 8-inch round souffle dish. Use a paper towel to wipe the oil around the sides and bottom of the dish.
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4
Pour 7 cups glutinous rice flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center of the mound then pour the dissolved peen tong into the hole. Mix the dough with your hands, kneading as you go. The dough should be damp and shiny with no lumps. If necessary, add up to an additional 1/3 cup cold water to reach the desired texture. Mixing and kneading takes between 5 to 10 minutes.
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5
Place the dough into the souffle dish. Press the dough into the dish until it is level. Place five of the sliced dates, cut-side down, in a ring on the dough. Place one of the dates in the center of the ring. Sprinkle the top of the dough with 1 tbsp. white sesame seeds.
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6
Use your fingers to apply 1 tsp. vegetable oil to the top of the cake and the dates. Press the dates and sesame seeds lightly into the dough.
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7
Place the souffle dish into a steamer over boiling water, making sure the dish does not touch the sides of the steamer. Place the lid on the steamer and leave the cake to cook for 35 to 40 minutes. If necessary during steaming, add additional water if the water level becomes low.
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8
Remove the souffle dish and pour any additional surface liquid off the cake. Leave it to cool, before covering it loosely with plastic wrap for 24 hours.
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9
Cut the cake into four quarters. Then cut the quarters into 2-inch strips that are 1/4 inch thick. Soak the strips in a well-beaten egg.
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10
Heat a 14-inch wok over medium heat. Coat the wok in vegetable oil. Add the cake slices and brown, between 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
