Bribing the Kitchen God With Chinese Sticky Cake (Nian Gao)

Countdown to Chinese New Year: 14 days
While food plays a major role throughout the Chinese New Year season, one food-related tradition takes place before the old year has even come to a close. According to legend, one week before the Spring Festival begins, the Kitchen God returns to heaven to report on a family's behavior throughout the previous year. In order to ensure a favorable report from the Kitchen God, the custom evolved of feeding him Nian Gao, both as a bribe and as a means of ensuring his mouth was too full of cake to pass on a negative report! Learn more about the legend of the Kitchen God, and try a basic recipe for steamed Nian Gao with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar.

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