Eight Treasures Rice Cake is a traditional Chinese New Year cake.  Eight treasures topping consists of eight different kinds of dried fruits, raisins and sweets.  You can choose your own blend of ingredients which are easy for you to buy.  Of course, you don’t have to use exactly “eight” different toppings; the number of toppings you use is really down to personal preference.

Ingredients                                                           

Handful of sugar glazed cherries 

Handful of black raisins                                          

Handful of yellow raisins                                            

Handful of sugar lotus seeds                                   

Handful of dried apricot                                         

Handful of red dates                                                

2 cups of “round” glutinous rice                            

100g red bean paste

1 tablespoon sunflower oil                                      

¼ teaspoon salt                                                          

Seasoning                                                                            

1 tablespoon sugar                                                      

1 tablespoon honey                                                      

½ cup water                                                               

2 tablespoon potato starch & water slurry 

Procedure

1.       Soak round glutinous rice in cold water for at least 1 hour.  Cook rice in a rice cooker or steamer.  Mix the cooked rice with sunflower oil and salt when it’s still hot.

2.       Brush some oil on a medium size bowl.  Place dried fruits and half of the sugar glazed cherries as shown in the photos.

3.       Put half of the cooked glutinous rice in the bowl and press down a little bit then put red bean paste in the middle.

4.       Use a little bit of glutinous rice to cover the red bean paste and place the sugar lotus seeds and the remainder of the sugar glazed cherries around the bowl.

5.       Put all of the remaining glutinous rice in the bowl and press down. Steam for 30 minutes.

6.       Boil sugar, honey, and water in a small pot to make sugar syrup.  Stir in potato starch & water slurry to thicken the syrup.

Flip the rice cake on a plate and brush sugar syrup on top.  Ready to serve.