Deep-Fried Nian Gao with Seaweed and Sweet Potatoes

Nian Gao/ sticky rice cake (年糕), a must have for every Chinese New Year (CNY) because of its' symbolic meanings.  Eating nian gao is said to bring you good luck in the new year.  Also "nian nian gao sheng",  年年高升 means whether in your career, money wise or studies or whatever you do, you will get better each and every year.  Eating something sticky also means your family will stick together.  The above nian gao is made with my Super Easy Steamed Nian Gao recipe that I devised for people who want to make homemade nian gao the easy way.

I fell in love with deep-fried spring roll nian gao 2-3 years ago.  This year I tried it with a piece of seaweed and the seaweed imparted an extra fragrant to the fried nian gao with sweet potatoes.  This is super crispy and irresistible!  Try it with your leftover nian gao from the CNY and enjoy this delicious snack!!

Method:

I cut my nian gao into a rectangle shape.  I also cut my sweet potatoes into a shape as close to my nian gao as possible but need to cut it thin so that it would cook faster.  I then cut the seaweed (the one for making sushi) into rectangle shape as well.

Take a piece of springroll wrapper and cut it into half.  Lay it vertically and place a piece of nian gao on top, lay it with a piece of seaweed and top it with sweet potato and then roll the springroll wrapper and seal it with a mixture of potato/corn starch + water (as a glue).

Deep-fry in medium heat oil in batches until golden brown.  Drain on paper towel and enjoy it warm and crispy.  In my dry weather, it stayed crispy for hours.  It only turned soft after I put it in my air-tight container to store for next day.  On the next day, I just reheat it in my toaster to crisp it up again.  Enjoy!