| Niangao |
 |
Niangao is a typical southern Chinese dish made with glutinous rice
flour strips sliced into pieces and stir-fried with other ingredients.
One especially popular way to prepare Niangao is to stir-fry
it with pork spareribs. This Shanghainese dish is known as Paigu
Niangao.
Niangao is also very popular in his hometown. This staple food
is made of glutinous rice flour and comes in thumb sized nuggets.
Niangao's popularity during Spring Festival has come about since
it has a homonym, which translates as "getting higher and
higher year after year." This preserved food is therefore
a must-eat in many parts of China, especially its southern provinces.
This food is completely hand-made: the sticky rice is soaked in
water, then grinded, drained using a muslin cloth, and steamed
with various ingredients.
The taste of Niangao varies from region to region. In the south,
Niangao can be either sweet or salty, depending on how it's cooked.
Mint, sweet osmanthus and roses are all usable as ingredients.
In the north, Niangao is usually served sweet with sugar, dates
or bean paste.
On New Year's Eve houses are brightly lit and a large family
dinner is served. In the south of China sticky-sweet glutinous
rice pudding called "nian gao" is served, while in the
north the steamed dumpling "jiaozi" is popular. Most
celebrating the festival stay up till midnight, when fireworks
are lit, to drive away evil spirits. |
