Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast East Asia,the northeastern regions of India and Bhutan which has opaque grains,very low amylose content,and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.
A mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching,and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.
Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods commonly found in Southeast Asia and China. It is a fairly broad term which may include items that would be called cakes,cookies,dumplings,pudding,biscuits,or pastries in English and are usually made from rice or glutinous rice. In China,where the term originates from,kueh or koé (粿) in the Min Nan languages refers to snacks which are typically made from rice but can occasionally be made from other grains such as wheat. The term kuih is widely used in Malaysia,Brunei,and Singapore,kueh is used in Singapore and Indonesia,kue is used in Indonesia only,all three refer to sweet or savoury desserts.
Nian gao,sometimes translated as year cake or New Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake,is a food prepared from glutinous rice flour and consumed in Chinese cuisine. It is also simply known as "rice cake". While it can be eaten all year round,traditionally it is most popular during the Chinese New Year. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time of the year because nian gao (年糕) is a homonym for "higher year" or "grow every year" (年高),which means "a more prosperous year". The character 年is literally translated as "year",and the character 糕(gāo) is literally translated as "cake" and is identical in sound to the character 高,meaning "tall" or "high". In Mandarin,Nian gao (年糕) also is an exact homonym of "sticky cake" (黏糕／粘糕),the character 黏／粘(nián) meaning "sticky".
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped,condensed,or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour,those made from ground rice,and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.
Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes,anything between a marble to a ping pong ball,and are sometimes stuffed with filling. Tangyuan are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival,but because the name is a homophone for union and symbolizes togetherness and completeness,this dish is also served at weddings,family reunions,Chinese New Year,and the Dōngzhìfestival.
Kue is an Indonesian bite-sized snack or dessert food. Kue is a fairly broad term in Indonesian to describe a wide variety of snacks including cakes,cookies,fritters,pies,scones,and patisserie. Kue are made from a variety of ingredients in various forms;some are steamed,fried or baked. They are popular snacks in Indonesia,which has the largest variety of kue. Because of the countries' historical colonial ties,Koeé (kue) is also popular in the Netherlands.
Bánh rán is a deep-fried glutinous rice ball Vietnamese dish from northern Vietnam. In Vietnamese,bánh is a category of food including cakes,pies,and pastries,while rán means "fried."
In Vietnamese,the term bánh translates loosely as "cake" or "bread",but refers to a wide variety of prepared foods that can easily be eaten by hands or chopsticks. With the addition of qualifying adjectives,bánh refers to a wide variety of sweet or savory,distinct cakes,buns,pastries,sandwiches,and other food items,which may be cooked by steaming,baking,frying,deep-frying,or boiling. Foods made from wheat flour or rice flour are generally called bánh,but the term may also refer to certain varieties of noodle and fish cake dishes,such as bánh canh and bánh hỏi.
Sachima is a sweet snack in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. Its decoration and flavor vary in different regional Chinese cuisines,but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same,somewhat similar to that of American Rice Krispies Treats.
Klepon or kelepon or kalalapun,also known outside Java as onde-onde and buah melaka,is a sweet rice cake ball filled with molten palm sugar and coated in grated coconut. Of Javanese origin,the green-coloured glutinous rice balls are one of the popular traditional kue in Indonesian cuisine.
Bánh giầy is a Vietnamese traditional cake. Bánh giầy is a white,flat,and round glutinous rice cake. They are wrapped in cut pieces of banana leaves. They are usually served with a type of Vietnamese sausage giòlụa. Bánh giầy can be fried to a thin crispy golden crust or be eaten with giòlụa. Another variation is called bánh giầy đậu,where ground boiled mung bean —salted or sweetened—is stuffed inside. It is very similar to other Asian glutinous rice cakes like Japanese mochi,Korean tteok or Chinese lo mai chi.
Red bean paste or red bean jam,also called adzuki bean paste or anko,is a paste made of red beans,used in East Asian cuisine. The paste is prepared by boiling the beans,then mashing or grinding them. At this stage,the paste can be sweetened or left as it is. The color of the paste is usually dark red,which comes from the husk of the beans. In Korean cuisine,the adzuki beans can also be husked prior to cooking,resulting in a white paste. It is also possible to remove the husk by sieving after cooking,but before sweetening,resulting in a red paste that is smoother and more homogeneous.
Moche are Pampangan glutinous rice balls with a bean paste filling. Made from galapong and filled with mung- or red bean paste,it is shaped into balls or ovals. Bukayo may also be used. It is then boiled in water until it floats. It is then sprinkled with sesame seeds or crushed peanuts and served hot with a sauce made from sweetened coconut milk (gata).
In the Burmese language,the term mont translates to "snack",and refers to a wide variety of prepared foods,ranging from sweet desserts to savory food items that may be cooked by steaming,baking,frying,deep-frying,or boiling. Foods made from wheat or rice flour are generally called mont,but the term may also refer to certain varieties of noodle dishes,such as mohinga. Burmese mont are typically eaten with tea during breakfast or afternoon tea time.
Ham chim peng,also spelt hum chim peng,known in Singapore and Malaysia as haam ji peng,hum ji peng,or ham ji peng,is a deep-fried hollow doughnut of Cantonese origin. Commonly eaten as a breakfast food,it is sometimes fried with a coating of sesame seeds.
