Stick It To ‘Em: Treats For Loud Guests

Not everybody prizes tackiness in a celebratory dessert (and by “tacky” we mean like the glue, not the leisure suit your Uncle Joe still wears to weddings). But if there’s anything the Chinese love, it’s a treat made of sticky rice that makes it hard to talk after you’ve taken a nice, big gooey bite. You know what else Chinese people love? A good pun, of course.

That’s why niangao (年糕) are pretty much the most perfect food ever. Nian means “year,” signaling its pride of place in the Spring Festival celebrations, but it also sounds like the character for “sticky.”

Things get really fun when some red bean gets mixed in – and sugar, of course. In this case, it’s often made into a small, brick-like cake and steamed. To serve, the brick is sliced into matchbook-size pieces, dipped in an egg mixture and briefly pan-fried in a small pool of oil until the cake just begins to lose its shape.

Sadly, this version of the rice cake is not easily found served in Beijing’s restaurants. But every year, Shin Yeh stocks plenty as gift boxes (RMB 138) that can also be ordered as part of your dinner. At Shin Yeh, they fully coat the cake pieces in a tempura-like batter and then pan-fry it to a mellow golden crust. The set includes both a savory taro version as well as a sweet red bean flavor – great as a not-too-sugary finish. Don’t forget to savor the silence that will follow each bite.

Shin Yeh Daily 11am-10pm. 4/F, Xinzhongguan Shopping Center (The Gate City Mall), 19 Zhongguancun Dajie, Haidian District (8248 6288) 海淀区中关村大街19号新中关大厦4层

By subway: Take Exit A2 directly into the mall at Haidianhuangzhuang station (Lines 4 and 10)

This article originally appeared on page in the February issue of the Beijinger.

Photo: Xuan Ning