<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Nian gao is a dish that symbolizes the desire for a \u201chigher\u201d position, elevation toward an advanced level of vitality or wealth. These meanings come from the dish\u2019s name having a similar sound to the terms \u201ctall\u201d and \u201chigh\u201d in Chinese. Serving this dish is also important to welcome children\u2019s\u2019 growth and increasing one\u2019s chances that the incoming year will be better than the last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Historically, these cakes were eaten on chongyang, the ninth day of the New Lunar Year\u2019s ninth month instead of during the transition into the New Year. Feasting on this dish was then a part of the tradition known as \u201cdenggao,\u201d which, when broken down, means \u201cto mount\u201d (deng) and \u201chigher up\u201d (gao).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt became a popular New Year\u2019s dish because of the explosion in the dish\u2019s variations, many of which found their way into several holiday celebrations. The name first arose with the Song dynasty, who referred to the pudding cake as a signifier of being filled with hope and optimism for the coming year. The public later shortened the name from \u201cnianniangoa\u201d to its current title.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Preparing Nian Gao (Fast)<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nFor this recipe, make sure to set aside at least three hours. Because of this dish\u2019s meaning, it\u2019s not required that you cook it in the company of your family and friends. Still, it could be fun to invite some people along! This could be an especially fun recipe to make with kids and a great opportunity to teach the little ones about their culture, since part of nian gao\u2019s purpose is to bless children\u2019s growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re on your own or cooking with children,<\/b> follow the simple instructions below to prepare your dessert\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Cut banana leaves into sections. These will be the molds for your cake.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Before you fold the leaves, blanch them in hot water or heat them above a stove to prevent them from cracking.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Rinse the leaves or wipe them off with a damp cloth.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Take a tin can as a mold and wrap the banana leaf around the outside.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Fold the excess leaf into the mold and press it against the inside walls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Add a second leaf if you want to enhance the banana leaves\u2019 flavor.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Secure the leaves with a rubber band.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cut a circular shape from the remaining banana leaves with a diameter slightly larger than the base of your mold.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Press it against the bottom.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cut 20 g of pandan leaves into short strips and add into 350 ml of boiled water.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Allow the pandan leaf strips to steep for 10 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Place 350g of white sugar over low to medium heat. It will liquefy and become a brown syrup.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add the 350 ml of the hot water in which the pandan leaves were steeped to the syrup.<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Turn off the heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add the syrup to 350g of glutinous rice flour and stir until it forms a smooth batter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Pour the batter into the banana leaf containers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Steam the cakes over medium heat for 30 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Slightly reduce the heat for another 1.5 hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Let the cakes cool before you unmold them.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- To remove the cakes from the mold, fold the leaves on the outside of the can upward and pull the cake out. Cut away the excess leaves.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Enjoy!\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/span>Tangyuan (Sweet Rice Balls)<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n![\"Tang](\"https:\/\/chinesefoodsrecipe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/xTang-yuan.png.pagespeed.ic._HPezCz-I5.jpg\")
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This dish\u2019s name varies depending on what region of China you\u2019re in during the Lunar New Year celebration. However, this is the most common variation, stemming from the term, \u201ctuan yuan,\u201d which roughly translates to \u201cfamily reunion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYou\u2019re most likely to find this dish in New Year celebrations in southern China, primarily due to the difference in cultivation between the two regions. The South is much better suited to large-scale rice production than the North, so their resources for the dish are far more plentiful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe North now has greater access to rice-based meals thanks to modern amenities. So, their cuisine centers more heavily on wheat and millet because of these environmentally-influenced cultural differences.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Traditionally, celebrators fill these sweet bites of rice with a sweetened blend of sesame seeds, peanuts, and red beans. As shown by commercial and Western producers, this is not required. Some who prepare this dish opt for chocolate and other decadent ingredients instead. Below is an example of how you can prepare your nian gao.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>How to Make Tangyuan<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nLots of people are intimidated by the though of making tangyuan at home. Yet, when you give yourself a chance, you\u2019ll find that the process really isn\u2019t too bad! Since this dish signifies family reunion, feel free to invite your loved ones into the process alongside you. <\/span>When you\u2019re all together, follow these steps to make your own tangyuan\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Roast 130g black sesame seeds over low to medium heat.\u00a0<\/span>\n
\n- Note: <\/span><\/i>It\u2019s challenging to know whether black sesame seeds are fully roasted or not. Toss in some white sesame seeds, and when they\u2019re brown, your seeds are done.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Grind the roasted seeds in a coffee grinder until they form dense clumps. Be careful not to pass this point. Otherwise, you\u2019ll end up with tahini.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Spoon 3 tbsp of room temperature coconut oil or butter in a pot.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Add 40g of palm sugar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add \u00bc tsp of salt.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cook mixture over low heat until the sugar has completely melted.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add the ground sesame seeds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Once the mixture has formed a paste, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Break up 100-150g of ginger root in a mortar and pestle. (Feel free to do less if you are sensitive to spice.)<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Add it to 6 cups of boiling water, and simmer for 20 minutes.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mix 175g of glutinous rice flour with 150-175 ml of water.\u00a0<\/span>\n
\n- Note: <\/span><\/i>Be very careful here. Adding too much water will make your dough too runny. You\u2019re looking for a slightly stiff, non-sticky dough.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
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- Take the cooled sesame paste and form it into small 9g balls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Freeze the sesame paste balls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Strain the ginger tea and add 4 tbsp of dark brown sugar.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Weigh 13g of dough per sesame ball and wrap the dough around the balls.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Boil the balls for 15 minutes each. Place them in a bowl of room temperature water to prevent them from sticking.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Serve the balls in a bowl with hot ginger tea poured over the top.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/span>Y\u00fash<\/span>\u0113<\/span>ng (\u201cRaw Fish\u201d)<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/chinesefoodsrecipe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/xChinese-new-year-yu-sheng.png.pagespeed.ic.OZ79gMy1tM.jpg\")
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In Chinese, \u201cY\u00fash<\/span>\u0113<\/span>ng\u201d can be spelled two distinct ways, each with a specific meaning. While one, <\/span>\u9c7c\u751f, means \u201cabundance,\u201d the other (\u4f59\u5347) has a slightly different definition, \u201cincrease in abundance.\u201d <\/span>These two terms combine to define the seventh day of the new year, the \u201cBirthday of Men,\u201d to represent\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n- Abundance<\/span><\/li>\n
- Wealth or affluence (not exclusive to economic standing)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Vitality<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Why does this dish hold so much importance, specifically on the seventh day of the New Year? Like the Buddhist vegetarian dish, Jai, eaten on the final day of the 15-day Chinese New Year celebration, observers choose to eat fish to honor life and respect the goddess, N\u00fcwa\u2019s, creations. <\/span>For this reason, the following fish and salad is a common alternative to entirely vegetarian meals in homage to N\u00fcwa\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Catfish<\/span><\/li>\n
- Chinese mud carp<\/span><\/li>\n
- Crucian carp<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>Y\u00fash<\/span>\u0113<\/span>ng Recipe Made Easy<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nThere are so many different ways to make y\u00fash<\/span>\u0113<\/span>ng, so please don\u2019t feel obligated to make one form of the dish. Remember that the star of the meal is fish. So, as long as you include the raw fish (some meals even allow whole, cooked fish, or y\u00fa), you can choose whatever Lunar New Year-appropriate side dishes you please.<\/span><\/p>\nHere is one example of how Chinese families enjoy y\u00fash<\/b>\u0113<\/b>ng in the New Year:<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n- Cut 8-10 dumpling wrappers into strips.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Fry the strips in cooking oil for 10 seconds.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dice 6 shallots and fry them until they\u2019ve turned a light brown color.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Beat 2 eggs with \u00bd tsp of salt and fry them together to make one large disc (like an unfolded omelet).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cut the fried egg into thin strips and set aside<\/span><\/li>\n
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- Grind 20g of roasted sesame seeds and 100g of roasted peanuts in a food processor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mix 4 tbsp of plum sauce with an equal amount of water.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Thinly slice 150g of red cabbage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Thinly slice a whole, fresh carrot and cucumber longways.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dice up a pomelo, shinko pear, or other preferred Lunar New Year fruits.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Plate as desired, with pickled onion, kaffir lime leaves as garnish, and your chosen raw y\u00fa (fish) on top.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n