Chinese New Year Recipe: Sticky Cake Rice

Chinese New Year is from January 28th to February 7th. I will be sharing Chinese inspired post and recipes during this time. Today I am sharing the first it is a recipe for Sweet Sticky Rice Cake

Burmese Sticky Rice Cake

PREP TIME: 5 minutes COOK TIME: 30 minutes TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, 15 minuts

* 1-1/2 cups Thai sticky rice

* 1/3 cup raw peanuts

* 2/3 cup palm or brown sugar

* 1/3 cup sesame seeds

* 3/4 teaspoon salt

* 2-1/4 cups water

* small amount butter or coconut oil

* 1/4 cup dried, unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted in a dry skillet

Quickly rinse the sticky rice under cold water, drain and place in a rice cooker. Add the peanuts, palm sugar, sesame seeds, salt and water. Stir to mix and turn the rice cooker on. Alternatively, if you are using a pan on the stove, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and keep just below a simmer, until the rice is done, approximately 25-30 minutes.

Once the rice is done cooking, keep covered for an additional 10 minutes.

Lightly butter or grease an 8-inch by 8-inch square pan or a baking dish of similar size (I used an 7-inch by 11-inch baking dish). Remove the lid from the saucepan or rice cooker and gently fold the ingredients together to evenly distribute the peanuts and sesame seeds. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly and evenly. Scatter the top with the coconut. Let stand for 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into squares and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Although this Burmese rice cake is made with whole sticky rice, as opposed to sticky rice flour, both desserts are sweetened with palm (or brown sugar), which gives the cakes a nice, caramel quality and flavor.  It also couldn’t be much simpler.  Just toss a bunch of ingredients in a rice cooker (or saucepan), cook until the rice is done, press into a pan and sprinkle with coconut.  Easy.

While I’m not sure if this sticky rice cake has the same promise of good luck as traditional nian gao, I’ll happily eat it year round just for the taste.

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