Eight-treasure rice pudding is one dish made of sticky rice and provided in nearly all banquets in Yunnan, which looks bright in color and tastes sweet. 

Yunnan flavor 

A bowl of eight-treasure rice pudding with endless aftertaste [Xinhua/Yang Baoying]

It is said that eight-treasure rice pudding can be traced back to a thousand years ago, and then gradually spread throughout China. 

Jin Nuohua was moving the rice from a steamer to a plate. [Xinhua/Li Dan] 

Living in Jiangchuan district, Yuxi city, Yunnan province, Jin Nuohua is a popular local chef who has decades of experience in cooking eight-treasure rice pudding. “ Because eight ingredients are used to cook this dish, it is called eight-treasure rice pudding,” Jin Nuohua said. “The round shape and sweet taste of it symbolize the reunion and happiness of newlyweds, so it is a must order at the wedding banquet.” 

How to make the rice pudding 

Jin Nuohua was steaming sticky rice. [Xinhua/Li Dan] 

Jin knows the recipe of eight-treasure rice pudding by heart. Firstly, soak the cleaned sticky rice in water for an hour, and the dates, carrots and candied melons should be cut into certain shapes. secondly, fry the sesame seeds and peanuts separately until done. Remove the skin of peanuts and put them with the sesame seeds into a blender. When the smashed is ready, add and mix some sugar, lard and sweet bean paste to make filling. 

“Making the rice pudding seems easy, but it actually needs some skills,” Jin said, when lighting a fire in an earthen oven. After the water in the pot had boiled, she dumped the soaked rice in and stirred it with a turner from time to time. “To taste good, a high heat is needed,”she said. “When the rice is half cooked, it should be taken out and steamed.” 

The essential ornament for a bowl of eight treasure rice pudding [Xinhua/Yang Baoying]

The next step is to decorate. Sprinkle a handful of fried sesame seeds on the bottom of the bowl, and then pose the preserved dates, carrots, candied melon and ginkgo. 

In the process of steaming sticky rice, sugar should be added and mixed evenly with the rice and then the filling should be filled in the middle of the rice. 

Soft and sweet rice pudding [Xinhua/Yang Baoying]

Over ten minutes later, Jin took out some rice from the steamer and press it into the decorated bowl with strength. After that she reversed the bowl and pour out the rice pudding. Being removed a corner by chopsticks, the filling flowed out from the pudding with a strong fragrance, making your month water. 

Sweet career

“We only had sticky rice, sugar and lard when I began learning cooking the rice pudding in 1988, as the supplies were tight then,” Jin said with a happy smile on her face. “But now we have rich ingredients to cook more delicious pudding to cater all people .” 

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(Editors: Alison, Rachel)