Babao fan is a steamed dome of sweet, lard-enriched glutinous rice with a hidden layer of red bean paste, crowned with a colorful pattern of jujubes, raisins, goji berries, candied melon and walnuts. It is turned out hot and glazed with a light osmanthus syrup. Makes 6 servings in about 9 hr 55 min.
Prep30 min
Cook80 min
Cooling8 hr 5 min
Total
9 hr 55 min
Servings
6
DietGluten free
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch; give a bigger batch a little more time.
10 ½ oz (300 g)glutinous rice
4 ¼ cups (1000 ml)water, for soaking, for the rice
Rinse the glutinous rice and soak it in the water for 8 hours (overnight). Drain well.
Spread the rice on a damp cloth in a steamer and steam over boiling water until tender but still slightly firm, about 30 minutes. While still hot, stir in 30 g of the lard and the granulated sugar until glossy.
Grease the heatproof bowl with the remaining 10 g lard. Arrange the dried red jujubes, golden raisins, goji berries, candied winter melon and walnuts in a decorative pattern over the bottom and lower sides.
With a wet spoon, press about two thirds of the rice over the topping and up the sides, leaving a hollow in the middle. Spread the sweetened red bean paste in the hollow, cover with the remaining rice and press flat.
Cover the bowl with foil and steam over medium-high heat until the rice is very soft and the pudding is heated through, about 40 minutes, adding boiling water to the steamer if needed.
Near the end, make the syrup: bring 150 ml of the water and the granulated sugar to a boil, stir the cornstarch into the remaining 15 ml water, whisk it into the pan and simmer until lightly thickened and clear, about 1 minute. Stir in the sweet osmanthus jam.
Lift out the bowl, run a thin knife around the edge, rest 5 minutes, then cover with a serving plate and invert. Spoon the syrup over the dome and serve warm, in wedges.
Tips
Press the rice firmly against the fruit so the pattern stays in place when the pudding is turned out.
Soak the dried fruit for 5 minutes in warm water and pat dry if it is very hard.
Make it a day ahead: refrigerate the filled, unsteamed bowl and steam 50 minutes from cold.
Good with pu-erh tea.
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How long does it take to make babao fan (eight treasure rice pudding)?
Plan on 30 minutes of prep and 1 hour 20 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hours 5 minutes to rest. The recipe makes 6 servings.
How should I store babao fan (eight treasure rice pudding)?
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, up to 3 days; re-steam slices 10 minutes until soft.
Can I make babao fan (eight treasure rice pudding) ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
Eight treasure rice is eaten across China at Lunar New Year and is most closely tied to Shanghai and the Jiangnan region; sweetened glutinous rice is packed over a pattern of dried fruits and nuts around a red bean paste center, steamed and turned out like a dome. Serve it with pu-erh tea.
Variations
Vegetarian version: replace the lard with the same amount (40 g / 3 tbsp) vegetable shortening or unsalted butter; time unchanged.
Individual puddings: divide among six 150 ml (5-oz) greased ramekins and steam 20 to 25 minutes instead of 40.
Lotus seed treasure: add 30 g (1/4 cup) cooked lotus seeds to the topping pattern; time unchanged.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 6 servings this recipe makes.
1014Calories / serving
10.4gFat
207.1gCarbs
17.3gProtein
17.4gSugar
Whole recipe (6 servings):
~6084 cal ·
62g fat ·
1243g carbs ·
104g protein ·
104g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
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