5 kg Glutinous rice flour
1 kg Brown sugar or gula melaka
-(palm sugar)
1 kg Caster sugar
2 l Water
100 ml Vegetable oil
Banana leaves
Pandan leaves
Nian Gaos are normally made during Chinese New Year & lasts for quite
a few days. It is brown to dark brown in colour depending on the type
of sugar used.
Slowly melt sugar in hot water & after, mix in glutinous rice
flour, stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps, now
reduce heat to simmer & stir the mixture for an hour, vital if you
want a smooth jelly like paste/texture. After an hour, add in
vegetable oil & stir for another 10 minutes. Next pour sticky
mixture into a mould lined with banana leaves & steam for 6 hours
on a high heat. After 6 hours, remove the steamer from heat with
it's lid still firmly on, leave it to cool down overnight so that
the cake mixture is allowed to settle down to room temp. to achieve
the right 'jelly' like texture. If you remove the lid from the
steamer while still hot, chances are it'll sink a little, just like
a souffle & become less jelly like & firmer.
You'll find that as it gets older, the cake gets firmer. You may keep
in the fridge for up to a week wrapped up. To add a 'vanilla' flavour,
you'll need fresh pandan leaves, tied into a knot & cooked with the
mixture from the beginning & carefully removed from the sticky mixture
before pouring into the mould or you may line the mould with banana
leaves first & then lining it again with fresh pandan leaves. Either
way it will impart a fragrant 'vanilla' like fragrance to the cake.
