Fa Gao Recipes

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over 1/2 cup of warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Beat egg, melted butter, vanilla extract, and milk together in a large bowl, until smooth. Sift cake flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl, then stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C) until doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours. Pour mixture into a 9 inch round pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with raisins.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the cake, recover, and steam until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Fill a 12-inch skillet or wok with about 2 inches of water, then place a 10-inch bamboo or metal steamer basket in the skillet. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom insert. If it does, remove some of the water. Leave the steamer setup on the stove. Spray ten 3-inch fluted egg tart molds with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Whisk the brown sugar, oil and 3/4 cup hot water in a large mixing bowl until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Set aside the sugar syrup until completely cool, about 10 minutes.
• When the sugar syrup is ready, sift the all-purpose flour and rice flour into the syrup in 3 additions, whisking between each addition until there are no dry spots. Stir together the baking powder and 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl until there are no dry clumps of baking powder. Whisk the baking powder slurry into the batter in 3 additions until there are no streaks of slurry. Fill the prepared egg tart molds to the top (about 1/4 cup of batter per mold).
• Bring the water in the skillet to a rolling boiling water over high heat. Set 5 of the molds in the steamer basket, cover and steam until the cakes rise and the tops crack open and resemble a flower, about 15 minutes. (Don't open the lid while the cakes cook; doing so interferes with the rising.) Transfer the molds to a cooling rack. Replenish the water in the skillet as needed and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Set the remaining 5 molds in the steamer basket and repeat the steaming process.
• Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature, unmolding them only when you are ready to eat them. They can be kept, covered in their molds, in the refrigerator for up to a week and reheated by steaming over simmering water for about 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Prepare your steamer setup: Fill a heavy-bottomed pot (the same diameter as your steamers) with 3 to 4 inches water. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Line 10 individual 3-inch cupcake molds with paper liners and arrange in 2 bamboo steamers.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the pancake mix, flour, brown sugar and water until smooth. (The batter should be thick but runny.)
• Divide the batter evenly between the molds, filling each about three-quarters full. Stack the bamboo steamers and cover with the lid. Steam for 15 minutes. Lift the lid, remove the steamers and allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Bring a wok filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil over medium-high heat (the water should be low enough so it doesn't touch the cake pan once it is added). Alternatively, you can use a bamboo steamer or a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket.
• Bring the brown slab sugar and 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally as the slab sugar tends to stick to the bottom of the pot, and cook until the sugar melts. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool until no longer steaming, about 6 minutes.
• Mix both kinds of rice flours together in a large bowl and set aside.
• Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment circle and lightly grease the parchment with more vegetable oil. Set aside.
• Gradually add the sugar syrup to the rice flours in three additions, stirring with a rubber spatula until there are only a few small lumps of flour. The mixture will be stiff at the beginning but will loosen after stirring for about 1 minute.
• Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve set over another large bowl. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and cover with aluminum foil. Place the pan over the steamer and steam over medium heat until the cake is light brown and almost translucent, about 2 hours; refill the steamer after every 10 to 15 minutes as the water evaporates.
• The classic way to check for doneness is by taking a small piece from the center of the cake with a chopstick (or a butter knife) and then placing a dried red date on top of the hole to hide it and provide a kind of decoration. Remove the pan from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle. Flip the nian gao onto a large plate and peel off the parchment.
• To serve right away, cut the cake into 1/2-inch-thick wedges using a greased knife. Enjoy the bouncy texture.
• For pan-fried nian gao, allow the cake to cool completely and, without slicing, cover the cake with foil. Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Pan-fry in a lightly greased nonstick skillet over medium heat, flipping halfway through, until browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Enjoy while hot for the perfect chewy texture and serve with condensed milk if desired as a dipping sauce.

Steps:

• Fill a large pot one third of the way with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Place a 2-tier steamer basket on top. Grease 8 3-inch fluted egg tart molds with nonstick spray.
• Add the brown sugar, butter, and water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the self-rising and rice flours and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
• Slowly fold the sugar syrup into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until evenly combined and no dry spots remain.
• Fill each prepared egg tart mold to the top with batter, about ¼ cup each.
• Working in batches if needed, place the molds in the steamer basket and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the cakes rise and crack open. Do not open the lid while cooking or the cakes will not rise. Carefully transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Remove the cakes from the molds before serving.
• Enjoy!