Eight Treasures Rice (Ba Bao Fan)
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1. About this recipe
Eight Treasures Rice — Ba Bao Fan — is a steamed sweet glutinous rice cake studded with eight different fruits, nuts and seeds, traditionally served at Chinese New Year and celebratory meals. Beyond its festive role, it is a quietly therapeutic dish: each of the eight 'treasures' is chosen for its tonifying action, making the whole an offering of qi, blood, jing and longevity.
2. Ingredients
- 300g glutinous (sticky) rice
- 60g rock sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tbsp lard or coconut oil
- 100g sweet red bean paste (dou sha)
- The eight treasures:
- 10 jujube (red dates), pitted
- 20g goji berries
- 20g longan fruit (long yan rou)
- 20g lotus seeds (lian zi), soaked
- 20g walnuts
- 20g pine nuts (or almonds)
- 20g dried apricot
- 20g candied orange peel (or fresh orange peel slivers)
3. Method
- Soak glutinous rice in water for at least 4 hours; drain.
- Steam the soaked rice for 30 minutes until cooked.
- While still hot, mix the rice with sugar and oil. Allow to cool slightly.
- Grease a 1L round heatproof bowl with a little oil.
- Arrange the eight treasures decoratively on the bottom of the bowl in a pattern (this becomes the top when inverted).
- Fill bowl half-full with rice, pressing gently. Add a layer of red bean paste in the centre. Top with remaining rice, pressing firmly.
- Steam for 30–40 minutes.
- Invert onto a serving plate so the treasures face up. Serve warm.
4. Variations
- Use any combination of dried fruit, nuts and seeds you have — eight is symbolic, not strict.
- Substitute red bean paste with sweetened mashed sweet potato for a less sweet version.
- Use sticky brown rice for more fibre and qi support.
5. When to eat it
A celebratory dish that doubles as a deep tonic, particularly for: yin and blood deficiency, postpartum recovery, recovery from fertility treatment, and convalescence. Eaten in modest portions (one slice). Not for: damp patterns (sticky rice and rich ingredients can aggravate), diabetes (high glycaemic load), or active digestive complaints.
