Skip to main content

Fried 'Nian Gao' ~ Revisited ~ CNY 2011



'Nian Gao' is a very auspicious item and a must-have during CNY.  Each year, we eat this sticky rice cake as it's symbolic ......'Nin Ko' in Cantonese which literally sounds like 'every year rising or prosper'!  Now tell me, who doesn't wish for achievement and promotion  in their career, prosperity in business, good luck, wealth and excellent health to usher in the New Year?  It's a unanimous Yes, we all do ............







Once the batter can coat the back of the spoon, then it's of the right consistency.








There are other ways of eating this Nin Ko.  You can just steam it till soft, make into small balls and roll them in fresh young coconut mixed with a pinch of salt.  But I chose to reprise this post, that is  to deep-fry them as I adopted the batter recipe from my  Prawn Fritters  post.  I like this as the 'crust' stays crunchy and crispy over a longer period of time.  The orange coloured sweet potatoes make them look more yummy  ......mmmm!

Ingredients
  • 1 Big Nin Ko - cut into 1/4 inch thickness
  • 3 pieces sweet potatoes  - cut into 1/4 inch thickness
Batter
  • 2 oz Self-raising flour
  • 1 oz Cornflour
  • 1 Tbsp Rice flour
  • 1/2  tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2  tsp salt
  • 100 ml water
  • 1.1/2  Tbsp oil
Method
  1. Mix all the flours and salt together thoroughly
  2. Gradually pour in the water and mix to a smooth batter.  If the batter can coat the back of the metal spoon, then it's of the right consistency.
  3. Add in the oil and mix well.  Let batter sit for 30 mins.
  4. Meanwhile, heat up enough oil in a wok, put droplets of batter into the oil and if they sizzle, then the oil is ready.  Lower to medium heat.
  5. Sandwhich a piece of  Nin Ko with 2 pieces of sweet potatoes, coat with the batter and gently with the spoon and a pair of long chopsticks, lower the sandwhich into the oil.
  6. Deep fry and flip over from side to side till the sandwhich is golden  brown.
  7. Take out, drain and place them on kitchen absorbent paper to absorb the oil.
  8. Serve warm.


I'm sending this post to  Muhibbah Malaysian Monday.  Do check it out  'here'!

Comments

  1. this is my favorite!! i can finish the whole plate by myself! haha! very beautifully done Cheah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love fried Nin Ko. In Singapore, it is hard to get a good one. What I was told worthy to eat is only ONE shop selling it and it is a long q to buy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This year my mom forgotten give me a 'nian gao', eatable ones. I only buy those at the supermarket for praying, had never eat them before. Probably, check out my in-laws' place if they've the leftover. They don't eat much. Another few more days to go before the end of New Year days. Enjoy & have a lovely day.
    Cheers, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  4. My favorite way of eating nian gao too, I sometimes sandwich the nian gaou with a piece of yam and a piece of sweet potato...delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yummy! I don't make them this year...now I kinda miss it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mmm, my favourite way to eat Nin Ko. Didn't go look for any this year and too busy to make some. Ah well, never mind. Wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous year of the tiger Aunty Cheah.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I still prefer this traditional way of fried nian ngo. Your intact look really crispy and good. Happy Valentine to you!
    For me , today is a normal day,hehehe.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nian gao is truly my favourite! I love it simply fried in egg. But not too much egg. Just till it's crispy brown on the outside and soft on the inside. My mom loves it with the sweet potato but I only take it plain. Yours look delicious though! Will have to try it with batter one day :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. Drooling over your nian gao . Mine still sitting in the fridge :) Have to fry them soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I did not have any Nian Gao this year.....:(

    ReplyDelete
  11. my mum and mil also will fried nian gao every yr, I dun really like it cos too sweet :P

    ReplyDelete
  12. j3ss kitch3n
    Thank you, but I can't settle for more than 3, very filling!

    Penny
    So sorry to hear that. My girl bought 1 from China town.

    Edith
    Oh really, in Ipoh we can get fried nin ko whole year round, from some stalls selling the 'yau char kwai' and 'ham chin peng'.

    Kristy
    Those from the supermarkets, best not to eat them, think they put in lots of preservatives. Price has increased for the nin ko this year.

    Jeannie
    Yes I like it with yam and potato too but need to get yam that's 'creamy' and not 'crunchy'.

    Angie
    Oh, so you DIY nin ko? I know MaryMoh does it too.

    Shaz
    If you don't see it you won't miss it. Happy New Year to you and your loved ones too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sonia
    Thank you, it's crispy.

    Sharon
    Yes, sweet potato is one of your mum's favourite. She can make good nin ko too. Sometimes when I'm lazy I fry with egg too.

    Elin
    They keep well in the fridge. You can wait till your piggies come back for short hols, then fry for them.

    tigerfish
    Oh, what a pity you'r so faraway!

    Jess
    You're lucky that you don't need to stand the heat and get to enjoy them!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, Are in able to provide the flour in gm instead of oz? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can check out the Conversion Calculator at the bottom left corner of the page. Thank you.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for dropping by. Please click on 'Anonymous' if you do not have a blog but do leave your name after the comment because I would like to know who you are.

Popular posts from this blog

Herbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Gao

H erbal Jelly ~ Gui Ling Ga o literally translated means 'Tortoise Jelly' is one of my family's favourite desserts.  It's much more economical to prepare this at home for you'll need to fork out between Rm 9 to Rm 11 for a bowl of this cooling dessert in any of those herbal tea outlets.  This soothing jelly, served chilled, is supposed to be able to help reduce our body heat, helps to get rid of toxins and is believed to be good for the skin thus culminating a healthier complexion.

Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy ~ 梅菜焖五花肉

Mui Choy is preserved mustard greens and there are two types, one is salty while the other is sweet.  There are many ways of cooking mui choy with pork belly.  Instead of braising, you can steam it with minced pork but here I am using only the sweet mui choy and I braised the pork belly with it.  This is a flavourful dish and you can serve it with plain rice or plain porridge. Braised Pork Belly with Mui Choy   ~    梅菜焖五花肉 Ingredients  400 gm pork belly cut into bite size 100 gm  preserved sweet mui choy 3 cloves of garlic 2 slices ginger Seasoning for the pork belly 1 Tbsp dark soya sauce 1/4 Tbsp sugar 1/4 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 Tbsp oyster sauce 1/2 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp light soya sauce Method Season the pork belly for about an hour or more.  Set aside. Soak the mui choy for 45 mins., rinse and squeeze dry.  Cut into slices Heat some oil in the wok, fry the mui choy.  Add in the ginger slices.  Stir-fry. Add in the pork  belly, fry for a while and

Yoghurt Fruitcake

T is the festive season again and the all-time favourite for X'mas is undoubtedly the ubiquitous fruit cake.  This Yoghurt Fruitcake caught my eye when I was browsing through a Food and Travel magazine.  As I've never baked a fruit cake with yoghurt before, I was very eager to try.