Fa Gao is a kind of popular steam cake that is widely distributed in north and south China. It is usually prepared in many places every spring festival in China. Its name means wealth and development.
What is Fa Gao?
Fa Gao is a traditional food made with sticky rice as the main material, and now also some recipes replace sticky rice with flour. Depending on the different materials, the shapes and tastes of the cakes vary. It has a delicate fragrance and rich nutrition, which is especially suitable for the elderly and children.
History of the Fa Gao
It is said that one day, a rural woman accidentally mixed distiller grains into the flour of the steamed rice cake. It was later discovered that due to fermentation of distiller’s grains the cake was steamed particularly soft and delicious, with a slight aroma of the wine. As a result, fa gao star to popular in China.
Fa Gao recipe
You’ll need
162g flour
100g hot water
1 egg
57g brown sugar
3g high sugar tolerant yeast
1g aluminum-free baking powder
70g red dates
Raisins (optional)
9 red dates
How to make Fa Gao
1. Wash and dry the red dates. Cut 70g into small pieces.
2. Heat a wok with clear water, cook the brown sugar until melt. Let it cool and add 1g aluminum-free baking powder and 3g high sugar tolerant yeast. Mix them well.
3. Beat 1 egg in the wok, mix them well and add 162g flour.
4. Stir until the batter will fall naturally on the spatula. Add red date pieces and mix well.
5. Brush a layer of oil on the mold. Add the batter and smooth the batter surface. Cover with plastic wrap and ferment for 45 minutes until it becomes twice as large.
6. Cut 9 red dates in half and remove the core, and decorate on the batter surface. Then, wrap tin foil on the outside of the mold.
7. Place the mold in the steamer and cover the lid. Heat until the steamer starts to swell, turn to low heat and continue steaming for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes. Serve it.
Fa Gao
Ingredients
- 162g flour
- 100g hot water
- 1 egg
- 57g brown sugar
- 3g high sugar tolerant yeast
- 1g aluminum-free baking powder
- 70g red dates
- Raisins optional
- 9 red dates
Instructions
- Wash and dry the red dates. Cut 70g into small pieces.
- Heat a wok with clear water, cook the brown sugar until melt. Let it cool and add 1g aluminum-free baking powder and 3g high sugar tolerant yeast. Mix them well.
- Beat 1 egg in the wok, mix them well and add 162g flour.
- Stir until the batter will fall naturally on the spatula. Add red date pieces and mix well.
- Brush a layer of oil on the mold. Add the batter and smooth the batter surface. Cover with plastic wrap and ferment for 45 minutes until it becomes twice as large.
- Cut 9 red dates in half and remove the core, and decorate on the batter surface. Then, wrap tin foil on the outside of the mold.
- Place the mold in the steamer and cover the lid. Heat until the steamer starts to swell, turn to low heat and continue steaming for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes. Serve it.
Just want you to know I used this recipe with success today. Even my hard to impress mom was impressed telling me that even my grandma had a hard time with dough blossoming. I just shrugged said it was really easy.
Worked really well! They ended up looking beautiful. Thanks for the recipe.