Nian gao and sweet potato slices are made into sandwiches and then deep fried with an eggless crispy batter are perfect for using up the leftover nian gao. Perfect for gluten-free and vegans too.
FRIED NIAN GAO FRITTERS (KUE BAKUL FRITTERS)
Nian gao is abundance during Chinese New Year celebration. Mom always makes sure there are some nian gao around the house. You can read more about what nian gao means for CNY celebration and how I made nian gao from scratch. Most people do not eat nian gao plain just like that, though you could. I used to when I was a kid. I love to eat them plain just like that too. Mom likes to fried nian gao with eggs and also this fried nian gao with sweet potato sandwich.
The nian gao is sliced and then sandwiched in between sweet potato slices (or the other way around) and then dip in batter and fried until crispy. When you bite into it, the nian gao will be soft and stretchy. The sweet potato is soft and slightly sweet. The batter is crispy. If you ask me, it’s an amazing combination!
NIAN GAO CRISPY BATTER
Most batter recipes used to make this nian gao sweet potato sandwich have eggs. Not that I have anything against eggs, but I have my favorite crispy batter that stays crispy recipe that is light and crispy. So I used it as the batter for this recipe. You only need: rice flour, ice-cold water, salt, baking powder. You can read all the details on why this crispy batter recipe works on the link above too.
TOP TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Don’t use fresh nian gao Freshly made nian gao is very sticky, stretchy and difficult to cut. Nian gao usually can be kept at room temperature for 3 days or sometimes up to 7 days. After that, I like to store them in the refrigerator (up to 6 months). They will get really firm after you store in the refrigerator and very easy to slice to make this recipe after that
2. Check your baking powder
Baking powder is used to make the batter airy in this recipe. Make sure your baking powder is still good. You can check its freshness by taking 1/2 tsp of baking powder and pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. If it bubbles up violently, you are good to go, if not, you need to toss it away3. Only prepare the batter when you are ready to fry
Do not prepare the batter ahead and let it sit around. Only pour the ice-cold water into the flour mixture when your oil is ready to fry and sandwiches are waiting to be dipped into the batter. This will ensure your fried products won’t end up getting soggy fast and absorbs too much oil
