Eight Treasures Rice Pudding is a traditional Chinese new year pudding. Eight treasures topping is made up with eight different kind of dried fruits, raisin and sweets. You can choose any ingredients which are easy for you to buy. Of course, you don’t have to use “eight” different toppings but the number of toppings you use is really down to personal preference.
I used five different kinds of toppings today because I only a small rice pudding for Chris and I. If I were to use eight different kinds of toppings for a rice pudding this size it would look a bit of a mess
The number eight is a magic number for Chinese people. In Chinese the number eight sounds like another Chinese word “發”. 發 in Chinese means rich and I believe everybody likes being rich. So, eight is a lucky number. Also, this dessert is really colourful and pretty so Chinese people love to have this dessert in Chinese New Year.
China has so many different provinces and different provinces also have different traditions. Whether you go to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore or even Malaysia, although we all celebrate Chinese New Year the customs are different. Sometimes it’s really hard to say which Chinese dish is a typical Chinese New Year dish but I always say as long as the dish is petty, colourful and has a lucky or pretty name then it’s a good Chinese New Year dish.
Here is recipe for this eight treasures rice pudding. I wish all of you have a great Chinese new year and I hope you will give my recipe a go and make eight treasures rice pudding for your friends and family. Trust me, they’ll love it.
Handful of sugar glazed cherries
Handful of black raisins
Handful of yellow raisins
Handful of sugar lotus seeds (available in Chinese supermarket)
1 dried apricot
2 cups of “round” glutinous rice
100g red bean paste (available in Chinese supermarket)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Ingredients for sugar syrup:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup water
2 tablespoon potato starch water (1/2 teaspoon potato starch with 1 tablespoon water and mix evenly )
Couple drops of rose or any kind of flower essence.
In some traditional eight treasures rice pudding recipes, it says use “sweet-scented osmanthus sauce” but it’s very difficult to get in UK so I use rose essence to replace it.
- Soak round glutinous rice in cold water for 1 hour at least. Cook it in a rice cooker or steamer. Mix the cooked rice with sunflower oil and salt when it’s still hot.
- Brush some oil on a medium size bowl and cut the sugar glazed cherry in half. Place the dried fruits and sugar glazed cherries as shown in the photos.
- Put half of the cooked glutinous rice in the bowl and press down a little bit then put 100g red bean paste in the middle.
- Use a little bit of glutinous rice to cover the red bean paste and place the sugar lotus seeds and sugar glazed cherries around the bowl.
- Put all of the glutinous rice in the bowl and press down. Steam for 30 minutes.
- Use a small pot to boil all the ingredients for the sugar syrup. Stir in potato starch water to thicken the syrup.
- Flip the rice pudding on a plate and brush sugar syrup on top. Ready to serve.
Serve: 3~4 people
Cooking time: 1 hour
Credit: All photos were taken by Chris at: http://www.chrisradleyphotography.com