Title: Neen Gow - Chinese New Year's Cake
Categories: Chinese, Holiday, Desserts
Yield: 72 Servings
3 Chinese dried red dates
5 Slabs brown candy
-(Peen tong)
3 ts Vegetable oil
7 c Glutinous rice flour
1 tb White sesame seeds
1 lg Egg
Vegetable oil
Peen Tong comes in slabs 5" long, 1-1/4" wide, and 1/2" thick.
Scraping off the sugar into powder is very labour intensive, so
some cooks dissolve the slabs of sugar in water, which is less
authentic but much easier to prepare.
Soak the red dates in 1/4 cup cold water in a small bowl for
30 minutes or until softened. When soft remove the pits.
Cut each brown candy slab into 8 pieces. Place sugar in a heatproof
bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water over the sugar, and set aside until
dissolved and completely cooled.
Grease a heatproof 8" round, 3 to 4" deep, straight sided bowl such
as souffle dish with 2 ts vegetable oil.
Place the rice flour in a large bowl. Make a well and stir in cold
sugar water. Knead the dough 5 to 10 minutes adding an additional
1/3 cup cold water until dough is smooth, slightly moist and
shiny.
Place the dough in the greased dish and pat until it fills the
dish evenly.
Cut the red dates into halves and place cut side down in a ring
around the outside of the dough leaving a few to decorate the
center.
Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Coat with the remaining 1
teaspoon of oil using your fingers and lightly pressing down on
the dates and sesame seeds.
Bring water to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large
enough to fit the dish without touching the sides of the steamer.
Carefully place the dish into the steamer, cover and steam 35 to
40 minutes on high heat. Check the water level and replenish with
boiling water if necessary.
The cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the
pan. Remove the dish from the steamer and pour off any excess
liquid on the surface. Place on a rack to cool. Loosely cover and
store at room temperature in a cool room until the next day, when
it will be ready to eat.
Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a
cake rack over the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake
right side up onto a cutting board. Wrap the cake in plastic and
refrigerate until ready to use.
When ready to eat, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter
crosswise, in two 2" wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise
into 1/4" thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a
cake Chinese style. Beat an egg until frothy in a small bow. Dip
the slices in the egg.
Heat flat bottomed wok or skillet over medium heat until hot but
not smoking. Add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the wok.
Add the egg-dipped slices in batches and cook 2 to 3 minutes per
side until golden brown. Serve immediately.
Makes one 8-inch cake, about 72 slices.
From: Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young
