Nián gāo is a sticky rice cake — glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water, steamed in a round mold until it sets into a dense, chewy block that is dark gold from the brown sugar and glossy on the surface. It can be eaten as it is, sliced and pan-fried until the exterior caramelizes and […]

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Jiān duī are fried glutinous rice balls — a thin shell of glutinous rice flour dough, filled with sweet lotus seed paste or red bean paste, rolled in sesame seeds, and deep-fried until the outside is golden and crunchy and the interior is chewy and hollow. The hollow is not a flaw in technique. It […]

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