Eight Precious Pudding

Holiday and Celebration Foods

Eight Precious Pudding
Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups glutinous rice
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lard
6 pieces extra frirm san cha, a firm fruit gelatin
12 preserved dates
16 candies lotus seeds
1/2 pound walnuts, nlanched
36 raisons
12 dried watermelon seeds, the shells removed
12 dired 'dragon eye' nuts
1/2 cup additional sugar, optional
2 Tablespoons cornstarch, optional
Preparation
1. Soak the glutinous rice overnight. Drain in the morning, rinse, ten cook it in six cups of water until soft (aboput two hours), then mix with half cup of sugar.
2. Depcoratively slice the san cha or simply cut it into diamond shapes.
3. Rub a bowl with half of the lard, then arrange the san cha in a decorative pattern.
4. Add the cooked rice being careful npt to disturb the patterned items.
5. Steam over boiling water for forty minutes, then remove and let rest for tenmore minutes.
6. Bub the rest of the lard only in the center of a round platter.
7. Put the platter over the steamed rice, and invert it quickly, then tirn the platter right side up.
Note: This can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature; plain r with a sauce made with the optional half cup of sugar and cornstarch mixed with three-quarters of a cup of cold water, brought to the boil, and poured over the pudding.

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