Taiwanese Lunar New Year Plate: Braised Fish and Nian Gao

About This Recipe

Whole fish and nian gao, sweet glutinous rice cake, are two of the most symbolically loaded dishes on a Taiwanese Lunar New Year table. Fish, yu, sounds like the word for surplus or abundance, so it's traditionally served whole, head and tail intact, to represent a complete year with something left over. Nian gao, meanwhile, is a homophone for 'higher year,' eaten in the hope of rising fortunes and progress in the year ahead. The fish here is braised whole in soy sauce, rice wine, ginger and scallions, a technique that keeps the delicate flesh moist while letting the skin absorb a deep savory-sweet glaze. Nian gao, dense and chewy on its own, needs to be pan-fried in a light egg batter to develop a crisp, caramelized exterior; eaten plain and cold, it's far too sticky and one-dimensional. This is genuinely how a Taiwanese household plates its New Year meal, though usually alongside many other dishes rather than just these two. Together they represent two of the most important culinary symbols of the holiday, and are worth making together specifically for their shared meaning.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1whole white fish(such as sea bass or tilapia, about 700g, cleaned)
• 5 slicesfresh ginger
• 4scallions(cut into 5cm pieces, plus extra sliced for garnish)
• 0.33 cupsoy sauce
• 0.25 cuprice wine
• 2 tbspsugar
• 1 cupwater
• 400 gnian gao(sweet glutinous rice cake, sliced into 1cm pieces)
• 1 largeegg(beaten)
• 3 tbspneutral oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the fish

   Pat the fish dry and score the skin diagonally a few times. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the fish 3 minutes per side until golden.

2. 2

   Braise

   Add ginger and scallions to the pan, then pour in soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes, spooning sauce over the fish occasionally.

   Baste the exposed top of the fish with sauce every few minutes so it colors and flavors evenly on both sides.

3. 3

   Reduce the sauce

   Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes until the sauce reduces to a glossy glaze. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it.

4. 4

   Batter the nian gao

   Dip each slice of nian gao in the beaten egg, coating both sides.

5. 5

   Fry the nian gao

   Heat remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the egg-coated nian gao 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden and crisp on the outside, soft and chewy within.

6. 6

   Serve

   Arrange the braised whole fish and fried nian gao together on a platter, garnished with fresh sliced scallions.

Variations

• •

  Steamed fish: for a lighter version, steam the whole fish with ginger and scallions for 10 to 12 minutes instead of braising, then pour a hot soy-oil dressing over it just before serving.

• •

  Savory nian gao: pan-fry the rice cake with sliced Chinese sausage and cabbage instead of dipping it in egg, for a savory version common at other times of year.

• •

  Sweet dipping sauce: serve the fried nian gao with a drizzle of honey for extra sweetness.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover fish and nian gao separately for up to 2 days. Reheat the fish gently in its sauce over low heat, and re-fry the nian gao in a dry pan to restore its crisp exterior.

Frequently Asked Questions