This recipe for Nine-Layer Chinese Pudding was submitted by Andrea Young.
Ingredients
1 lb. Ling Fun (tapioca starch)
3/4 lb. Chinese brown sugar (Wong Tong) (The Red Plum brand calls it “brown candy in pieces”)
1 1/2 cups of water, boiled and cooled
3 cups of water (to dissolve sugar)
Toasted sesame seeds
Steps
Dissolve the brown sugar in 3 cups of cold water, cooking until dissolved over a low flame. Bring to boil and cool. Meantime, boil 1 1/2 cups of water and let it cool.
Add the 1 1/2 cups of cooled water to the Ling Fun gradually, using your hand to mix. The texture is like cement. Then, gradually add the cooled sugar water mixture until a light consistency. Do not add all of the sugar water. Put through strainer to remove any impurities.
The above recipe makes enough puddings for one pan 9 inches in diameter. In order to get the pudding mixture of the right consistency, make a sample plan. Oil pan. Put pan on a rack in steam pot. Cover bottom thinly with mixture. Steam about 3 minutes. If it does not steam clear and translucent, the mixture is too dry, so add more sugar water to this plan. Add more sugar water to the big bowl of mixture. When you are certain the mixture is clear and right consistency by your samples, steam way!
Start with a thin layer of batter for layer No. 1. Steam 3 minutes. Remove cover. Wipe off moisture on pan lid each time you remove. Add batter for layer No. 2 on top of layer No. 1. Steam 3 minutes. Remove cover wipe off. Continue process until 9 layers in total are steamed in the pan. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
When cool, serve by cutting into small squares.
Enjoy.
