P
Chinese
Ba Bao Fan (八宝饭) — Eight Treasure Glutinous Rice: New Year Dessert
Ba bao fan (八宝饭, eight treasure glutinous rice) is the sweet glutinous rice dessert of Chinese New Year celebrations — a mound of glutinous rice studded with eight types of dried fruit, nuts, and sweet fillings (the 'eight treasures'), typically including dried longans, raisins, red dates (jujubes), lotus seeds, preserved melon, wolf berries, preserved plum, and pumpkin seeds, arranged decoratively on top of the rice before steaming, then inverted onto the serving platter so the decoration is uppermost. At the center of the rice is a core of sweet red bean paste.
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I
The Market List
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500 g
glutinous rice
soaked overnight in cold water, drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
lard or vegetable shortening
plus extra for greasing the bowl
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
sugar
Your own market
2 tbsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Eight treasures
30 g
30 g
raisins
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
red dates (jujubes)
pitted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
30 g
preserved melon
cut into small pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
wolf berries (goji berries)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
30 g
pumpkin seeds
shelled
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the filling
100 g
sweet red bean paste
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the glaze
250 ml
steaming liquid
collected from the steamer after cooking
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 tbsp
sugar
Your own market
1 tsp
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II
The Method
1
Place the drained glutinous rice in a steamer basket lined with muslin. Steam over vigorously boiling water for 25–30 minutes. The rice is done when every grain is cooked through, fully translucent, and cohesive when pressed between the fingers.
2
Turn the hot rice into a wide bowl. While it is still hot, fold in the lard, sugar, and Shaoxing wine, working them in thoroughly. The rice must be seasoned at this stage: it should be sticky, glossy, and faintly sweet to taste.
3
Brush the interior of a heatproof bowl or mold generously with lard. Arrange the eight treasures — longans, raisins, red dates, lotus seeds, preserved melon, wolf berries, preserved plum, and pumpkin seeds — in a deliberate decorative pattern across the base and up the sides. This arrangement becomes the visible face of the finished dish; every piece should be placed with that inversion in mind.
4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Press a firm, even layer of seasoned glutinous rice over the decorations, working carefully so as not to disturb the pattern. Make a hollow in the center of the rice and spoon in 3–4 tbsp of red bean paste. Press the remaining rice over the paste to seal it completely, smoothing the surface flat. The seam must be tight: any gap will allow the paste to escape during steaming.
From the canon — Dou sha (red bean paste): the foundational sweet filling of Chinese pastry, dim sum desserts, and festival foods. Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha) Production →
5
Set the filled bowl in a steamer over boiling water. Steam for 30–40 minutes. The ba bao fan is ready when the entire mass is heated through, the rice is uniformly tender and deeply sticky, and the bowl feels uniformly hot to the touch when held through a cloth.
6
Remove the bowl from the steamer and collect the steaming liquid for the glaze. Run a thin knife around the inner edge of the bowl to release the rice. Place a warmed serving platter over the bowl and invert quickly and confidently in one motion. The ba bao fan should unmold cleanly, the decoration uppermost and intact.
7
Combine the steaming liquid, sugar, and slaked cornstarch in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens to a translucent, lightly coating glaze. Pour evenly over the unmolded ba bao fan so that the fruit and nut decoration glistens.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Glutinous rice of a single-origin short-grain variety, fresh lard rendered from leaf fat, house-made red bean paste sweetened with rock sugar, and eight treasures that are entirely whole, unbroken, and of distinct provenance.
02
Estate — Good-quality glutinous rice soaked a full night, lard or high-grade vegetable shortening, commercially made but unadulterated red bean paste, and eight treasures sourced individually from a Chinese grocer rather than in a pre-mixed pack.
03
Market — Standard supermarket glutinous rice, vegetable shortening, canned or packaged red bean paste, and a pre-mixed eight-treasure pack supplemented with any missing items.
04
House — Glutinous rice soaked for a minimum of two hours, neutral vegetable oil in place of lard (reducing the characteristic richness), any available red bean paste, and whatever dried fruits and nuts approximate the eight treasures.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. A grain of steamed glutinous rice pressed between thumb and forefinger is fully translucent and cohesive, with no chalky center.
◇Smell. The Shaoxing wine loses its raw alcohol sharpness as it is folded into the hot rice, giving way to a mellow, faintly fermented sweetness.
◇Touch. The pressed rice layer feels uniformly compact and free of air pockets when tapped lightly with a fingertip.
◇Sight. After inversion, the eight treasures are fully visible, the pattern undisturbed, and the surface of the mound is intact with no cracks or collapsed sections.
◇Sight. The finished glaze is translucent and coats the decoration with an even, light sheen rather than pooling opaquely.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the pressing of the rice layer over the decorations: too thin and the pattern collapses on inversion; too loose and the paste escapes during steaming.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley Riesling
Ancient Lakes Vineyard — Cave B · Ancient Lakes
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Wine
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance