← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 150 g dark brown sugar (or Chinese slab sugar)
• 220 ml hot water
• 250 g Glutinous rice flour
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for the tin
• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten, for frying (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil, for frying (optional)

Method

1. Stir the brown sugar into the hot water until dissolved, then cool until just warm.
2. Put the glutinous rice flour in a bowl and gradually stir in the syrup until you have a smooth, thick batter like pancake batter. Stir in the 1 tbsp oil.
3. Oil an 18 cm round tin or heatproof bowl and line the base with baking paper. Pour in the batter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.
4. Cover with foil and steam over steadily boiling water for 1 hour 15 min, topping up the steamer with boiling water as needed, until the cake is dark, glossy and set when poked with a chopstick.
5. Cool completely, then leave for at least 4 hours or overnight so it firms up enough to slice.
6. To serve, cut into 1 cm slices. Dip in beaten egg and fry in the oil over medium heat for 2–3 min per side, until golden outside and soft and stretchy inside.

Tips

• Wet a knife or use oiled string to slice the sticky cake cleanly.
• Wrapped well, it keeps for a week in the fridge; frying brings it back to life.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste of Asian Food Huang Kitchen Red House Spice