Nin Ko/New Year Prosperity Pudding

This is the sticky rice pudding or in cantonese 'Nin Ko' that is a must during the Chinese New Year. It is offered to the Kitchen God on Chinese New Year's Eve, so that the sticky and sweet rice cake in his mouth will compel him to report to the God of Heaven, only good things about the household he visited. Traditionally this rice cake is made when everyone is asleep. Talkative children and pregnant women have to stay away from the kitchen or else this cake will not turn brown or be cooked. A joss-stick is lit as the cake is steamed in a huge wok over a wood fired stove for 12 hours. If the cake does not turn brown in 12 hours, a big chopper is put beside the stove. It is believed that by doing so, the pudding will turn brown. Thank goodness for the pressure cooker this task needs only 45 minutes and assured brown puddings.



Ingredients:

13 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp water
120 gm glutinous rice flour
6 tbsp water
3 x 3 inch diameter tins - greased and line with banana leaves

Method:

Melt 5 tbsp sugar to obtain caramel, remove from fire and add in 5 tbsp cold water.

Add in the rest of the sugar(8 tbsp) and continue cooking until sugar dissolves. Leave to cool.

Mix glutinous rice flour with 6 tbsp water to form a soft dough(I had to add 2 more tbsp) .

Leave to prove for 15 mins, then mix into the syrup. Sieve to remove lumps.

Pour pudding mixture into banana leave lined tins.

Boil 1 ½ bowls of water in pressure cooker with a trivet, place in the filled pudding tins, cover and bring pressure to high, lower the fire to low and pressurized for 45 minutes.

Serves