When I was growing up, my parents rarely made desserts. The one exception to this was during Lunar New Year, when my mom would dedicate an entire day to making traditional holiday sweets. She’d fry up golden-brown gok jai, crispy dumplings stuffed with a sweet coconut-peanut filling, and steam platter after platter of nian gao, a delightfully chewy New Year cake.
As a kid, my favorite of the bunch was fa gao. The simple treat, which translates to “prosperity cake,” is a symbol of good fortune and rising luck for the year ahead. The cakes are traditionally steamed to “bloom” at the top, creating a flower-like split. I loved watching the cups of batter go into the wok, then emerge all puffed up and fluffy. I was always eager to tear off a piece while it was still warm.
Back then, these desserts weren’t as easy to find, but today, Chinese bakeries offer an array of beautiful Lunar New Year treats. While the convenience is tempting, I’ve felt the pull to keep some of these traditions alive for my five-year-old, and doing so has become much easier thanks to creators and recipe developers like The Woks of Life, Made With Lau, Lisa Lin (a Simply Recipes contributor!), and Kristina Cho.
Simply Recipes / Patty Lee
It was Cho’s cookbook, Mooncakes and Milkbread, that first inspired me to tackle fa gao on my own. Her recipe comes from her Pau Pau, or maternal grandmother, and features an unexpected shortcut: Bisquick. This pantry staple streamlines the process without compromising the tradition or taste. That’s why, as Lunar New Year approaches, a box of Bisquick always finds its way into my grocery cart.
Cho’s fa gao recipe calls for just four ingredients: Bisquick, all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, and water. The batter comes together quickly with just a whisk and steams up in 15 minutes. It not only makes the dessert more accessible—traditional recipes call for Chinese distiller’s yeast or wet-milled rice flour, which can be hard to find—but is also a prime example of immigrant resourcefulness. When Cho’s Pau Pau couldn’t access the ingredients she needed, she found smart substitute to help pass down the tradition.
Simply Recipes / Patty Lee
Tips for Making Fa Gao
I’ve made Cho’s fa gao yearly now and have learned a few tricks to ensure a perfect flower-like bloom:
- Don’t overmix. Like pancakes, the batter for fa gao can become gummy if mixed too vigorously. Gently whisk until just combined.
- Use silicone cupcake liners. Individual silicone cupcake molds are sturdy enough to hold fa gao’s shape beautifully, and the cakes pop right out. Plus, they’re easy to clean if any of the sticky batter spills over.
- Steaming setup is key. Make sure your steamer is large enough to allow space for the cakes to rise and bloom. Don’t overcrowd them!
#Buy #Bisquick #Lunar #Year
