eight treasure rice pudding
Eight Treasure Rice Pudding Chinese new year dish
by Liv
January 20, 2011

Eight Treasure Rice Pudding Chinese new year dish

Jan 20, 2011 | Chinese Food, Recipes, Taiwanese Food | 28 comments

eight treasure rice pudding

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 “”. 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.

Credit: All photos were taken by Chris at: http://www.chrisradleyphotography.com

 

Eight Treasure Rice Pudding Chinese new year dish

Course Main Dish
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 3 people

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 handful sugar glazed cherries
  • 1 handful black raisins
  • 1 handful yellow raisins
  • 1 handful sugar lotus seeds available in Chinese supermarkets
  • 1 dried apricot
  • 2 cups round glutinous rice
  • 100 g red bean paste available in Chinese supermarkets

Seasonings

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Ingredients for sugar syrup

  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp potato starch water (1/2 tsp potato starch with 1 tbsp water, mix evenly)
  • 2 drops rose or any kind of flower essence **

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Put all of the glutinous rice in the bowl and press down. Steam for 30 minutes.
  6. Use a small pot to boil all the ingredients for the sugar syrup. Stir in potato starch water to thicken the syrup.
  7. Flip the rice pudding on a plate and brush sugar syrup on top. Ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

** 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.

 

By Liv

Illustrator by day, home chef at night. I worked as a professional chef for many years but now I draw for a living. I now cook just for the love of cooking. The recipes on this website are all influenced by things I have eaten in different locations around the world.

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28 Comments

  1. Lucy

    It’s so beautiful!!! I want to try it!!!

    Reply
    • admin

      Hi Lucy,
      Thank you very much for your kind comment. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Swee San

    Wow, this is the first time I’m seeing this though, I’m a Chinese myself. haha I guess my family don’t have the tradition with this 8 treasure rice pudding. Btw, do u want some osmanthus ? they’re easily available here 🙂

    Reply
    • admin

      Hello Swee San,

      Thank you for your comment. I know different area of Chinese people have different traditions for Chinese new year. 八寶飯 is one of popular dessert for Chinese new year dinner. We have another popular Chinese new year dessert call 發糕. I might make it on my next day off. I would wish I can have some osmanthus from you but I don’t think you can post seed, flower, plant and food. 🙁 But I’m really thankful for your offer. That’s very kind of you. Love your Chinese writing cup cake too. They will looks amazing for Chinese new year dinner. 😀

      Reply
  3. Rosie

    Looks delicious! I recently had a variation in Hong Kong where the rice was served in a cooked pumpkin. It was delicious!

    Reply
    • admin

      Hi Rosie,
      Wow, I wish I can try some of those rice in the pumpkin one day. It sounds really tasty. Thank you very much for your kind comment.
      All the best. 😀

      Reply
  4. Claudie

    Wow, this is so amazingly pretty! I love the colors! Would so want to try it too… 🙂

    Reply
    • admin

      Thank you very much, Claudie. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Hannah

    Oh gosh, that is utterly beautiful! I’ve never seen nor eaten anything like it before. Even when I went to yum cha as a kid, all we have were dan tarts (It hink that’s what they were called?) 😛

    Reply
    • admin

      Hello Hannah,
      Many thanks for your kind comment. Dan tart is one of my favorite dessert in yum cha. 😀

      Reply
  6. Chef Dennis

    hi Liv

    what a beautiful rice pudding! That would certainly be a welcome addition on any table, and the addition of the fruits really kicks it up a notch! Hope everything is going well in your world, and Congrats on your top 9 today!
    Dennis

    Reply
  7. foodie and the chef

    This is amazing – I like to think that we get a wide variety of Chinese food here in Sydney but I’ve NEVER seen this. I’m going to the Chinese New Year festival launch tomorrow, I’ll have to try this out for my friends! It looks so colourful and festive 🙂

    Reply
  8. Stephanie @ okie dokie artichokie

    Wow, how gorgeous is that! I’m Peruvian-Chinese and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a beautiful treasure! :-p Looks wonderful!

    Gratz on making Top 9!!

    Reply
  9. BigFatBaker

    Congrats on top 9!
    This is beautiful and sounds amazing. Rice pudding is delicious and I find it comforting…but that’s just me. Cute blog!

    Reply
    • admin

      Hello BigFatBaker,
      Thank you very much for your kind comment. I really appreciate it. 🙂 Wish you have a great Chinese new year.

      Reply
  10. Dimah

    What a gorgeous presentation! looks yummy and sooo irresistible!
    Congrats on the top 9..you definitely deserve it!

    Reply
  11. Julie

    woah woah woah! This is gorgeous!! Hope you have a Happy and prosperous new year!
    Sincerely,
    Julie

    Reply
  12. Nancy/SpicieFoodie

    How pretty, and what a delicious variation of rice pudding. Sounds like a great food to celebrate new year. Congrats on the top 9!

    Reply
    • admin

      Hi Nancy,
      Thank you for always being so supportive. I really appreciate it. Wish you have a great Chinese new year. 😀

      Reply
  13. Hyosun Ro

    Congrats on daily 9! This looks amazingly festive. Thanks for introducing a Chinese New Year tradition.

    Reply
  14. MaryMoh

    Looks very beautiful and auspicious. Love it.

    Reply
    • admin

      Hello Mary,
      Thank you very much for your kind comment. I really appreciate it. Happy Chinese new year. 🙂

      Reply
  15. mycookinghut

    This looks very pretty! Well done!

    Reply
  16. Pudding Pie Lane

    I searched all round the internet to find a recipe for ba bao fan and yours, with the step by step photos, is the best! Did you take that photo at the top? It’s amazing! 🙂

    Reply
  17. SM

    Thanks a lot for this recipe. Tried this as a bday pudding/cake for my husband… He is not a big fan of normal cakes or sweet things. So it was a success. However missed a few steps you had mentioned… Next time will try to make it even closer…

    Reply
  18. Jenny Matlock

    Wow. Wht a gorgeous dessert! I would definitely give this a try! Yum!

    Reply
  19. Dina

    thank you so much for sharing. i love learning about holiday traditions. what a lovely dish!

    Reply
  20. tucker

    eight treasure rice is a must for the new year—- pleasant garden nc

    Reply

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