Mum had her first try making Nian Gao using the Philips Pressure Cooker (PPC) last Chinese New Year. It was a big success and her Gula Melaka Nian Gao are the best in the world. The girls and I heart them to bits. The Nian Gao were often polished off in a jiffy and often not enough to satiate everyone.
Yesterday we finished off the last Nian Gao that’s been in sitting in our freezer for months. I was too lazy to prep it but I had to finish off that year-old Nian Goa to make space for another batch, which mum just made yesterday (in Ipoh). I can’t wait to dig into them!
How to Prep Steamed Nian Gao The Easy Way!
Actually prepping the Nian Gao ain’t too messy and difficult. I discovered a super easy way of prepping it.
When the Nian Gao is half thawed (thus not sticky), cut it into bite size pieces. Line baking paper on the steaming plate for easy cleaning as the aftermath on the plate can be very messy and sticky without the baking paper. Place the bite size Nian Gao on the lined plate and once the water starts to boil, put it on the steaming rack and steam for 5-8 minutes.  Be careful not to over-steam the Nian Gao or it will melt and turn into a messy pile of sticky goo which is hard to pull out from the plate, not to mention looks disgusting ðŸ¤.
Below – just out from the wok. As you can see, the Nian Gao pieces are still intact but they are already very soft. Poke through the Nian Gao with a toothpick to check the doneness. Coat the pieces of sticky cake with freshly grated young coconut and sprinkle a little salt (optional).
Steamed Nian Kao / Lin Ko / Kuih Bakul is my top favorite CNY snack, besides meat jerky. I do like the CNY cookies, bee hives and muruku too but now that I’m eating clean, I’ve stopped indulging excessively in these snacks. I still do give myself a treat in small quantities. After all, what’s CNY without indulging yourself in these once-a-year treats, right?
Mum’s freshly made Nian Gao, using the PPC:
What’s your favorite CNY snacks?
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Mind to share recipe nian gao using the pressure cooker?
Thanks.
Hi KL
The recipe below is taken from the Cooking with Philips Pressure Cooker Facebook group. You can send a request to join the group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/820578594623384/
Ingredients :
1) 250 g glutinous rice flour
2) 150 g brown Chinese sugar ( 片糖 ) ( break into smaller pieces )
3) 50 g dark brown sugar or gula melaka ( 80 g if prefer sweeter Nian Goa )
4)350 -360 g water ( if prefer harder & chewy texture , use 320-340 g water )
5) 1 tsp oil or coconut oil
Instruction :
1) boil sugar & water on the stove or in PPC using bake mode uncovered until the sugar completely dissolved , cool it & set aside = syrup
2) glutinous rice flour in a bowl , pour syrup into the flour in few batches , mix & keep stirring till the mixture turns smooth & even , sift = batter
3) add 1 tsp oil in the batter (or in warm syrup )
4) pour batter into Phillips baking pan
5) cover pan with foil or SS cover
Steaming instructions ( in PPC )
1) add 2 – 2.5 cups water in PPC pot
2) place steaming rack ( trivet ) in it
3) place the baking pan ( with batter in it ) on the rack
4) used steam mode @ seal KPT 45 mins , when done , auto pressure release or wait until the floater drops
Notes :
1) best use Phillips baking pan , so no need to line the tin with nonstick baking paper or banana leaves
2) when the cake is just done , It’s quite soft , I normally wait until the next day to coat them with coconut , or wait for few days ( in the fridge ) for frying with eggs
3) it won’t take long for the sugar to melt in the water , so please don’t boil your syrup for too long , otherwise the Liquid will reduce
4) my recipe is fail- proof recipe if you follow the steps properly 👌😃😃
5) I added few pandan leaves in the sugar （ optional )