Eight Treasures Rice Pudding (Ba Bao Fan)

Puo (grandmother) does not let food go to waste.  She grew up during a time when food and supplies were scarce.  When she saw how much rice I made for fermented rice, we decided to make ba bao fan using the extra rice. 

This dish is a common dessert during Chinese New Year and other holidays. It can be made ahead of time and steamed when ready to serve.

Photo of finished product from web (I  lost my photos)

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet rice

¼ cup sugar (Iused splenda)

1 teaspoon canola oil

½ can of sweetened bean paste (from a 15 ounce can)

8 Treasures:  Maraschino cherries,raisins, dates, nuts, any other dried fruits and nuts 

Directions:

1. Prepare rice according to rice cooker instructions.
2. While rice is warm, add sugar and mix well.
3.  Swirl canola oil in a large bowl to coat.
4. Place cherries and raisins at the bottom of bowl in a decorative pattern.
5.  Wet hands with water to prevent rice from sticking to fingers.  Take a handful of rice and pat until flat in hands.
6. Place rice in bowl on top of cherries and raisins.
7. In a non-stick pan warm half the can of red bean paste until fragrant.
8. Add the red bean paste to the rice bowl and spread with hands.
9. Use remaining rice on top of the red bean paste, pat down and smooth.
10. Place bowl into steamer for 10 – 20 minutes until rice is warm and soft.
11. Gently slide a knife along the edges of the bowl, place on top of a plate and gently slide bowl off rice.
12. Warm 2-3 tablespoons of the cherry juice and pour on top for decoration.

Problems I encountered:

Since we made this dish at the last minute I only had raisins and a few cherries on hand.  Usually there are eight different types of treasures (nuts and dried fruits) used in this dish.  I accidentally deleted my photos of this dish so I posted one from the web.  Mine did not turn out quite as nice.