This year my priority is to make Chinese New Year Steamed Sticky Cake, this tin moulds has been with me for almost three years. When my mum pass it into my hands, she told me that all the baking tools that my late grandma used has been stolen and this five tin moulds is the only thing left behind. Today then I realize and witness how good this tin mould is. But my skill on lining the banana leaves into the tin mould is awful!!
My Nian Gao recipe referred to Sonia and Honey Bee Sweets recipe with minor changes. I want to make 5 sticky cakes so I increased the flour and water to 800g. I used 500g brown sugar and 100g caster sugar. With 3 hours of steaming the light brown batter turned into shining dark brown.
Just after I finished snapping the food photos, my son and I finished up one sticky cake within 10 mins!!! Lovely cake texture to glue up our mouth!! ...Haha this is the story my grandma told us when we were young, the Kitchen's god will go back to Heaven just before Chinese New Year and he is going to report whatever good and bad things happened in the house, so the people make this type of sticky cake for the Kitchen's god so to glue up his mouth and he said nothing about the people in the house! A legend we pass down from one generation to another young generation...this year may be I should tell a different story to Gabriel.
今年最想弄的就是年糕，三年前老妈把阿麻弄年糕的锡模子交给我时对我说“阿麻放在老家弄糕点的模子工具都被人偷走了，只剩这五个弄年糕的锡模子，就给你。” 当时的我还犹豫了好一阵子。今天终於明白和见证了这经得起时间考验，锡模子的功力。
过年过节我阿麻是最怕我们这些孩子进厨房捣蛋的，她蒸年糕的炉子和工具在当时我的眼中像山那么高，一次就蒸上二十多粒的年糕。我用着她的锡模子感慨万千，今天至少给这五个模子回复一点皆日的风采。
yield 5 sticky cakes
Ingredients:
800g glutinous rice flour
800ml water
600g sugar (500g brown sugar and 100g caster sugar)
5 tbsp cooking oil
banana leaves, soften it by blanched in hot water
Method:
1. Line the banana leaves on the steaming mould, use a string to tie the banana leaves on to the mould so it is in place.
2. Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl, mix in 500g brown sugar, oil and water, stir the mixture till the sugar dissolved.
3. In another small pot, cook the 100g caster sugar on low heat until it becomes golden syrup.
4. Pour golden syrup into flour mixture, continue to stir the mixture until the syrup dissolved.
5. Strain the mixture and pour the mixture into the steaming mould.
6. Steam the cake over high flame for 1 hour, and turn the heat to medium low, continue steaming for another 2 hours or until the cake turned into dark brown. Make sure the water in the steamer is not dry up.