The East Asian food bug has finally bit you and you have on your hands a sack or a packet of glutinous rice. Did we get that right? Then you are at the right place, let us guide you to how to go about using them to make the most delicious desserts ever! You will need a few more ingredients that you won't typically need for any Indian dessert, so make sure to scan the ingredient list before getting started.
1. Nian Gao (Serves 8)
Ingredients
- 225 gm glutinous rice flour (measure out rice and dry grind rice in a mixie)
- 30 gm rice flour
- 240 ml evaporated milk OR 355ml whole milk OR coconut milk
- 120 ml water
- 210 gm sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 95 gm red (kidney) beans, raisins, or chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Grease or flour a 9x13-inch pan, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C then combine all the ingredients well using a spatula or spoon.
- Scrape it into the pan. Cover the surface with foil.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Once the baking is done, remove the foil. Bake for 5 more minutes.
- Once done, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool.
- Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge and fried and eaten the next day.
2. Daifuku (Makes 8)
Ingredients
- 115 gm glutinous rice flour
- 60 gm sugar
- 125 ml water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or cornflour
- 112 gm red bean paste
Red Beans paste
- 200 gm azuki beans (can use kidney beans for replacement)
- 200 gm sugar
- A pinch of salt
- Boiling water enough to submerge the beans
- 1 liter cold water
Instructions
- Let’s make the red bean paste first. Wash the beans thoroughly and put the beans in a saucepan of boiling water. Let them soak in the water and soften for 30 minutes.
- Bring the beans to a boil, keep going until all of the water evaporates. This should be done in around 15 minutes.
- Add half of the cold water and boil again, making sure most of it evaporates. Add the rest of the cold water and repeat.
- Now add the sugar and the salt, lower the heat and let the beans soak them in along with the water. The reddish liquid will be bubbling against the beans. Squish a bean to see if it's soft, if not do the water thing again. Mash the beans to have a chunky paste and set aside.
- Now to make the crust, take a microwave-safe bowl and mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Cover with a heatproof dish leaving a little opening at one end. Microwave for 1 minute.
- Mix the liquid, pop it back in and microwave for a minute again.
- Get a spatula, wet with water and set aside. Use your hands to fold the mochi dough over and over until it turns into a ball, and takes on a translucent hue.
- Take the wet spatula and put the mochi dough on it. Put it on a surface floured with cornflour. Roll the mochi in this and cover it with this to remove the stickiness. Flatten to a thick disk and let the mochi cool on the surface.
- Take the earlier prepared red bean paste. Scoop out a tablespoon of it, and mould into 8 spheres.
- Cut out 8 even pieces and use cornstarch or corn flour as necessary to avoid sticking, coating your fingers as necessary.
- Pick up a mochi shell and shape it into a round circle, around 10cm in diameter. Press the red bean paste in the centre and wrap the mochi shell from all edges, around it rolling it in your palm to smoothen.
- Repeat with the rest of the shells and serve immediately.
3. Tang Yuan (Enough for 2 people)
Ingredients
- 120 gm glutinous rice flour
- 120 ml water
- For the syrup
- 1.5 litre water
- 78 gm brown sugar
- 1-inch sliced ginger
Instructions
- Mix the water and rice flour and knead to form a dough. The dough needs to be soft and not too sticky, or crumbly that it falls apart.
- Divide the dough into three or four parts and add a drop or two of food coloring of your choice. Knead to distribute the color throughout the dough.
- Pluck off small portions from the dough to form ½ inch balls and roll between your palms to make the balls. You could also use cookie cutters to form them into different shapes.
- Cover the little dough balls once done with a cloth while you prepare the Tang Yuan soup.
- Take a big pot and put 1.5 litres of water, ginger and brown sugar and boil. Add the Tang Yuan until all of them float to the top. Your Tang Yuan with its sweet soup is ready!