Eight Treasures Recipes

EIGHT TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Rinse and soak rice in a bowl of water for 50 minutes. Drain well and transfer rice to a rice cooker; add 2 cups water.
• Cook rice according to manufacturer's instructions, about 20 minutes. Transfer cooked rice to a large bowl and cool for 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and butter.
• Rinse and soak dates in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and slice dates in half and remove pits.
• Mix red bean paste and walnuts together in a bowl.
• Lightly oil a shallow bowl with vegetable oil. Place pineapple ring in the bottom and fill with pumpkin seeds and peanuts. Arrange dates and mandarin oranges around the pineapple ring, creating a sunshine pattern. Spoon 1/2 of the rice into the bowl and flatten. Spread red bean paste mixture evenly on top. Fill the bowl with the remaining rice and flatten.
• Place bowl in a steamer, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the rice. Place a plate over the top, flip over, and remove bowl.

CHINESE SPICY EIGHT TREASURES STIR FRY

Steps:

• Stir fry the spiced bean curd with a teaspoon of oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Take it out of wok and set aside. Stir fry the carrot with a teaspoon of oil using medium heat for about two minutes...until softens slightly. Take it out of wok and set aside. Repeat the process another two times with the edamame and the cubed pork and set both aside.
• Then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir-fry the garlic over medium heat for about a minute. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Add the peanuts and stir for another 3-5 minutes, until they start to smell fragrant. Then add the green pepper and mix well. Now add all the pre-cooked ingredients: the bean curd, carrot, edamame and pork. Continue to stir and cook for another few minutes so that everything comes together. Add cooking wine, spicy bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, and the black bean chili sauce. Stir everything together and keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and all the ingredients are well-coated in sauce. Plate and serve!

EIGHT TREASURES

Steps:

• Soak the dried mushrooms to soften. Save the strained soaking liquid for the seasoning step.
• Press the bean curd aka tofu. To do this. Wrap in cheese cloth or paper towels. Place on slant board and put a large heavy plate on top.
• Make sure you wash and dice the following: string beans, carrot, water chestnuts and red chili.
• Dice the Gluten and the tofu.
• Peel the garlic and shallot and chop finely.
• Mix together the seasoning in a bowl. Use water if you do not choose to use the mushroom soaking liquid aka mushroom water. It should be a scant 1/4 cup. That means it should not be on the 1/4 line.
• Boil the peanuts in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Cool. Peel and set aside.
• Heat the wok, add enough oil for deep-frying. When oil is hot, Add the peanuts and deep-fry on high heat until they are golden brown. Remove and set aside.
• Repeat with the gluten ball.
• Parboil the carrots and string beans for 1 minute. Drain.
• Wipe wok. Then heat adding fresh oil. When oil is hot add the garlic, shallot and hot bean paste. Then add all the other ingredients except for the peanuts. Stir-fry until they are cooked, then add the mirim and seasoning.
• Turn off the heat, mix in the peanuts, and serve.
• The original recipe called for 3 pieces of spicy tofu. The author did not define a piece. I took this to be a standard serving.

EIGHT-TREASURE GLUTINOUS RICE CAKE

Steps:

• Cut all dried fruit, except the raisins, into 1/3-inch dice. Place all fruit, including the raisins, in a large bowl. Reserve.
• Wash the glutinous rice 4 times in room-temperature water and drain well. Place in a cake pan. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water to the rice. Place the cake pan in a steamer, cover, and steam for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is cooked. It will acquire a glaze and be translucent. Turn off the heat. Scoop out the rice, add to the bowl of fruit, and mix well to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Coat a steamproof bowl, 1 1/2-quart size, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil, making certain the bowl in well coated. Coat the hands as well, so the glutinous rice may be handled. Pick up half of the rice-fruit mixture, coat it with the remainder of the peanut oil, and pack it into the bowl, pressing it to the sides. Place the red bean paste in the center of the rice mixture and spread it a bit. Place the remainder of rice on top and press down gently.
• Place the bowl in a steamer, cover, and steam for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat. Remove the bowl and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Pass a blunt dinner knife around the edge of the rice to loosen it. Place a serving plate, inverted, on top of the bowl, and upend it. The cake should slip out easily. Its fruit-dotted texture will glisten.
• Use a large spoon to divide among individual bowls. Because of its texture, the steamed glutinous rice is virtually impossible to slice as one might a cake. Often a sugar syrup is poured over Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Cake when served. It is not at all necessary, because the various fruits, their sugars concentrated from drying, and the red bean paste are sufficiently sweet.

EIGHT-TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Rinse the rice under running water, drain it and put it in a saucepan with one cup of cold water. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, lower heat and cook over very low heat for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and oil and mix well.
• Grease a three- to four-cup mold or heat-proof bowl with a little oil or shortening. Cut the fruit in thin slices and press them onto the bottom and sides of the bowl in a decorative pattern.
• Spoon half the rice over the fruit and press down to make an even layer. Spread on a layer of bean paste. Spread the remaining rice over the paste and pack down. (The rice can be refrigerated 3 or 4 days if needed).
• When ready to cook, place the mold, covered with a lid or foil, in the top of a steamer and steam the mixture for one hour.
• Make a sauce by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in one tablespoon of water and add to the sugar water. Stir over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the lemon rind.
• Unmold the rice pudding onto a platter and pour the sauce over the top.

EIGHT-TREASURE PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Rinse rice in a large sieve under cold running water until water runs clear, then drain. Combine rice, oil, and 2 cups cold water in cake pan.
• Put 1/2 inch of water in a 12-inch-wide pot or deep skillet. Set a metal rack (or a few metal cookie cutters) in bottom of pot, then set cake pan (with rice) on rack and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and steam over high heat, checking water level occasionally and adding more water if necessary, until rice is cooked, about 40 minutes. Carefully remove pan and cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, bring remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan with rock sugar, jujubes, prunes, apricots, cherries, and orange peel, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until fruit is very soft and liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 45 minutes. Stir in walnuts and simmer 1 minute. Immediately drain in a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl, reserving syrup and fruit separately. Remove walnuts from fruit and set aside.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. 3Lightly oil custard cups and a 1/3-cup measure. Put 1 walnut half in bottom of each cup, then spoon 2 tablespoons mixed fruit (per cup) on top, spreading evenly around bottom of each cup. Drizzle 1 teaspoon reserved fruit syrup over fruit in each cup, then press 1/3 cup rice (per cup) on top of fruit with dampened fingertips. Using your fingertips or back of a small spoon, make a small indentation in rice and fill with 1 teaspoon red beans (per cup), leaving at least a 1/2-inch border of rice. Drizzle 1 teaspoon fruit syrup over each rice pudding, then cover with 2 tablespoons rice (dip measuring spoon in water before measuring rice to prevent sticking). Using a small piece of plastic wrap, press rice in cups to flatten surface. Discard wrap.
• Arrange cups in roasting pan. Oil a sheet of heavy-duty foil, then cover pan with foil (oiled side down) and seal tightly. Bake in a water bath 1 hour, then let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge of each cup to loosen rice, then invert each pudding onto a dish. Drizzle with remaining fruit syrup.

EIGHT TREASURE PORRIDGE DESSERT

Steps:

• Place red beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 3 hours to overnight. Drain and rinse.
• Combine red beans and barley in a pot; add enough water to fill 1/2 the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer until beans and barley are tender, about 1 hour.
• Mix rice into bean-barley mixture; add more water if it has all been absorbed. Cook rice mixture for 20 minutes. Add mung beans; cook for 20 minutes.
• Mix oats, millet, and tapioca into rice mixture; cook, stirring every 5 minutes, until all the grains are softened, about 20 minutes. Add more water to reach desired thickness of porridge. Stir brown sugar and raisins into porridge; cook for 5 minutes more. Remove pot from heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serve hot or chilled.

8 TREASURE RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients; arrange half of fruit mixture in an 8-inch glass bowl coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle salt over rice, and toss to combine. Spread half of rice over fruit mixture, pressing firmly with a spatula to pack. Spread almond butter over rice; drizzle with 2 tablespoons syrup. Top with remaining fruit mixture. Spread remaining rice over fruit mixture, pressing firmly with a spatula to pack. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons syrup.
• Open a small metal vegetable steamer; place steamer upside down in a large, deep wok. Add water; bring to a simmer. Wearing oven mitts, carefully place the bowl on top of inverted steamer. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Wearing oven mitts, carefully remove bowl from wok. Place a plate upside down on top of bowl; invert pudding onto plate. Sprinkle with almonds.