Fried Nian Gao

There are many ways of preparing and serving this popular Lunar New Year sweet cake. It differs from one household to another based on individuals preference.  If batter is used, it also differs, especially in the combination of ingredients.  My family too have our own styles of serving it, but today I would like to put a hand on the batter recipe from "No-Frills Recipes" by Sokehah Cheah.  The turnout of the fried Nian Gao - I love the crispy and crunchiness of the fried batter ~ YUMMY ~

Ingredients: 

Nian Gao (cut into your preferred sizes and thickness)

Enough cooking oil for frying

Batter ingredients:

2 oz. self-raising flour

1 oz. cornflour

1 tbsp rice flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

100 ml water

1 1/2 tsp cooking oil

Methods:

1. In a bowl add in all the flour, salt and mix well.
2. Gradually stir in the water and mix until you get a smooth batter.  If the batter can coat the back of the spoon, then it's of the right consistency.
3. Add in the cooking oil, stir to mix and let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
4. For frying, add enough cooking oil in heated wok.  When oil reaches medium heat, coat a piece of nian gao with the batter, place into the heated oil and continue with the rest, but don't overcrowd the wok. Flip the nian gao over to ensure that both sides are golden brown.  Dish and place them on a wire rack to let the excess oil drips off.
5. Serve warm to enjoy the yummy crunch of this fried nian gao.

Since I have some nian gao leftover from my earlier fried, so I decided to buy some yam and sweet potato to make this "sandwich of yam-nian gao-sweet potato."  This is the best option for those who are not able to consume much of the nian gao due to its sweetness, as by combining the three together the taste is being balanced out.  I prefer this sandwich method of frying too, as it is not too sweet.

To prepare this, (1) peel and slice the yam and sweet potato to get almost the same size, but for the thickness, yam and sweet potato must be thinner as compared to the nian gao as nian gao cooks faster.  (2) to fry, dip a piece of nian gao, yam and sweet potato into the batter and sandwich the nian gao in between the yam and sweet potato, using a spoon place it into the medium heated oil and fry, turning over until both sides are golden in color and cooked.  Dish and place on a wire rack to drain off excess oil and serve warm. Since I have few pieces of yam and sweet potato left, I just dip them in the batter and fried, rather than throwing them away ~ ENJOY ~