Sticky Rice Cakes

Happy New Year! Daughter is particularly excited in welcoming the year of the rat because she was born in the year of the rat. She has come full cycle! That means she is 12 this year. Sigh, time flies so fast. Indeed, it is another new year to celebrate!

One of the beautiful traditions of the chinese new year is the giving of sweet, sticky rice cakes to friends and families. For my family, this has two-fold meaning. One, to seal friendship and ties between the giver and the recipient (this is where the stickness comes in.) Two, to wish the recipient continual prosperity (this is where the rice comes in.)

We have received several boxes of sticky rice cakes this time. And yes, at this time of the year, to the consternation of my hubby, I ignore my self-imposed diet and indulge in the sticky sweetness of fried rice cakes.

1. Slice enough 1/4" thin rice cakes into bite sized squares. Number of slices depends on how much you can consume.

2. Beat one whole egg. Heat up a frying pan. Add oil to fill around half inch deep.

3. Dip a piece of the rice cake in the egg and fry in hot oil. Do the same with the other pieces until pan is filled. Turn over the pieces to cook the other sides.

4. Fry in batches to prevent overcrowding. Once done, drain on paper towels before serving.

There are many kinds of sticky rice cakes in the market nowadays. Aside from the variety of sizes, there are many flavors to choose from. In the picture above, I cooked the rice cakes made with brown sugar, hence the brown color. For the supposedly health-conscious, there's even lite versions! These lite versions use sugar substitutes instead of the real sugar. What is the use of using sugar substitutes? You still get your carbohydrates from the rice itself!