Eight Treasures Rice Recipes

EIGHT-TREASURE GLUTINOUS RICE CAKE

Steps:

• Cut all dried fruit, except the raisins, into 1/3-inch dice. Place all fruit, including the raisins, in a large bowl. Reserve.
• Wash the glutinous rice 4 times in room-temperature water and drain well. Place in a cake pan. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water to the rice. Place the cake pan in a steamer, cover, and steam for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is cooked. It will acquire a glaze and be translucent. Turn off the heat. Scoop out the rice, add to the bowl of fruit, and mix well to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Coat a steamproof bowl, 1 1/2-quart size, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil, making certain the bowl in well coated. Coat the hands as well, so the glutinous rice may be handled. Pick up half of the rice-fruit mixture, coat it with the remainder of the peanut oil, and pack it into the bowl, pressing it to the sides. Place the red bean paste in the center of the rice mixture and spread it a bit. Place the remainder of rice on top and press down gently.
• Place the bowl in a steamer, cover, and steam for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the bowl and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Pass a blunt dinner knife around the edge of the rice to loosen it. Place a serving plate, inverted, on top of the bowl, and upend it. The cake should slip out easily. Its fruit-dotted texture will glisten.
• Use a large spoon to divide among individual bowls. Because of its texture, the steamed glutinous rice is virtually impossible to slice as one might a cake. Often a sugar syrup is poured over Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Cake when served. It is not at all necessary, because the various fruits, their sugars concentrated from drying, and the red bean paste are sufficiently sweet.

CHINESE SPICY EIGHT TREASURES STIR FRY

Steps:

• Stir fry the spiced bean curd with a teaspoon of oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Take it out of wok and set aside. Stir fry the carrot with a teaspoon of oil using medium heat for about two minutes...until softens slightly. Take it out of wok and set aside. Repeat the process another two times with the edamame and the cubed pork and set both aside.
• Then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir-fry the garlic over medium heat for about a minute. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Add the peanuts and stir for another 3-5 minutes, until they start to smell fragrant. Then add the green pepper and mix well. Now add all the pre-cooked ingredients: the bean curd, carrot, edamame and pork. Continue to stir and cook for another few minutes so that everything comes together. Add cooking wine, spicy bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, and the black bean chili sauce. Stir everything together and keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and all the ingredients are well-coated in sauce. Plate and serve!

EIGHT-TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Rinse the rice under running water, drain it and put it in a saucepan with one cup of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, lower heat and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and oil and mix well.
• Grease a three- to four-cup mold or heat-proof bowl with a little oil or shortening. Cut the fruit in thin slices and press them onto the bottom and sides of the bowl in a decorative pattern.
• Spoon half the rice over the fruit and press down to make an even layer. Spread on a layer of bean paste. Spread the remaining rice over the paste and pack down. (The rice can be refrigerated 3 or 4 days if needed).
• When ready to cook, place the mold, covered with a lid or foil, in the top of a steamer and steam the mixture for one hour.
• Make a sauce by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in one tablespoon of water and add to the sugar water. Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the lemon rind.
• Unmold the rice pudding onto a platter and pour the sauce over the top.

EIGHT TREASURE RICE PUDDING (BA BAO FAN, 八宝饭)

Steps:

• Rinse glutinous rice under running water. Put it into a bowl and top with water. Leave to soak overnight. Then drain well and mix with sugar.
• Deseed and slice dried fruits if necessary. If using Jujube (Chinese dates), peanuts, lotus seeds or almonds, soak in water overnight to soften. Other dried fruits and nuts can be used directly without soaking.
• Evenly coat a bowl with coconut oil (or butter, neutral cooking oil) to prevent sticking.
• Spread a layer of mixed dried fruit and nuts over the bottom of the bowl. Design a pattern if you wish.
• Lay half of the rice over the dried fruit and nuts. Shape the red bean paste into a flat circle (smaller than the bowl). Place it on top of the rice. Put in the rest of the rice and flatten it with a spoon.
• Pour in water just enough to level with the rice (Be very gentle to avoid pushing the rice around).
• Place the pudding bowl into a steamer basket or onto a steamer rack. Fill the wok/pot with water. Leave to steam over medium heat for 50 mins. Don't forget to check the water level in the wok/pot halfway through in case it dries out.
• After steaming, leave to cool for 10 mins or so. Then use a knife or spatula to gently run along the edge of the pudding to help separating. Place a serving plate over the bowl. Flip over then gently remove the bowl.
• The rice pudding tastes great both warm and at room temperature. Drizzle some honey when serving if you like a sweeter taste.
• You can keep the rice pudding in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months (wrapped tightly with cling film after it cools completely).
• Steam for 10 minutes to reheat (defrost beforehand if frozen).

EIGHT TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Rinse and soak rice in a bowl of water for 50 minutes. Drain well and transfer rice to a rice cooker; add 2 cups water.
• Cook rice according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Transfer cooked rice to a large bowl and cool for 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and butter.
• Rinse and soak dates in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and slice dates in half and remove pits.
• Mix red bean paste and walnuts together in a bowl.
• Lightly oil a shallow bowl with vegetable oil. Place pineapple ring in the bottom and fill with pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Arrange dates and mandarin oranges around the pineapple ring, creating a sunshine pattern. Spoon 1/2 of the rice into the bowl and flatten. Spread red bean paste mixture evenly on top. Fill the bowl with the remaining rice and flatten.
• Place bowl in a steamer, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the rice. Place a plate over the top, flip over, and remove bowl.

EIGHT-TREASURE FRIED RICE

Steps:

• Break up rice into individual grains, using your hands to crumble it gently.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Add eggs; tilt or swirl pan to cover bottom with eggs. (Lift cooked edges and tilt pan to allow uncooked egg to run underneath.) When set, gently turn eggs; cook 10 seconds. Place on cutting board; cool. Roll up; cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-wide ribbons. Fluff to loosen.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in same skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook onion 15 seconds or until shiny and fragrant. Add shrimp; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp just begins to turn pink. Add mushrooms and edamame; cook 1 minute or until mushrooms are shiny and softened and shrimp turn pink.
• Add rice; toss to combine. Add egg ribbons, sausage, pineapple, cashews, green onions and stir-fry sauce; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until rice is tender and all ingredients are heated through. Stir in cilantro and sesame oil.

EIGHT TREASURES RICE

Steps:

• Cook the rice with water and sugar.
• Mix the nuts into the cooked rice.
• Toss with honey and cooking oil and serve.

EIGHT TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the glutinous rice in a non-reactive bowl and cover it with cold water. Let it soak for at least 1 hour.
• Drain the soaking water and place the rice in a steamer basket set over simmering water. Cover and steam for 30 to 45 minutes. While still hot, gently combine it with the sunflower oil and salt.
• Coat the inside of a heat-proof medium-sized bowl with oil. (Make sure this bowl will fit in the steamer basket.) Cut the sugar-glazed cherries in half and put some aside for later. Place the remaining sugar-glazed cherries along with the dried fruits in a decorative pattern in the bowl.
• Once the fruit is arranged, place half of the cooked rice in the bowl and press down gently.
• Spoon the red bean paste into the middle and smooth out the top.
• Use a little bit of glutinous rice to cover the red bean paste and place the sugar lotus seeds and remaining sugar-glazed cherries around the edge of the bowl.
• Evenly place the rest of the glutinous rice on top and press down.
• Place the bowl with the fruit and rice in the steamer basket set over simmering water and steam for 30 minutes, keeping an eye on the amount of water underneath the basket.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the starch water ingredients, whisking vigorously until well combined.
• Place all the syrup ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil, and then add the starch water. Stir until thick.
• Remove the bowl from the steamer basket and let it rest for 10 minutes. Invert the bowl onto a plate and release the rice pudding. Brush the sugar syrup over the surface.