Feb. 17 is the Lunar New Year and the first day of the year of the horse. This year is the fire horse, making it a year for positivity, optimism and seizing opportunities. If you were born in the years 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, or 2014, you are a horse. Horses are hard-working, adventurous, sturdy and intelligent, but are also sometimes egotistical, impatient, indecisive and mean. A horse is happiest out in the wind, unpenned and unburdened by reins, free to sprint to the horizon whenever they hear it calling.
My husband was born in the year of the golden horse, and he is true to his nature. As a young man, he galloped at full speed across the world to satisfy his need to roam and climbed the tallest mountains to breathe the air above the clouds. Now that he is a father, he works with strength and dignity. He carries his family on his back to save our feet from the stones. He is powerful and gentle, and despite the aching of his legs, his eyes are soft and kind. Horses and tigers are a perfect match, they say, and I would agree.
This year is a good one for taking risks and looking toward the future. Dedication and hard work this year will bring grand rewards, so keep your eyes on your goals with optimism and have faith that you will succeed.
My husband enjoys reading true tales of adventure and is inspired by history. I found an ancient recipe for a traditional New Year’s treat that has been enjoyed in China for over two thousand years, and I thought he would enjoy tasting a little history to celebrate the start of his year. This sweet, steamed rice cake is chewy, gooey and full of positivity. You will need 8 porcelain ramekins and a large pot with a steamer basket.
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups sugar
3 ¾ cups glutinous rice flour
2 tablespoons neutral oil (I used vegetable oil)
Dates for garnish
Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, dissolve the sugar with a little water and put over medium high heat.
Cook the sugar until it turns a rich amber color and turn off the heat.
Wait until the sugar cools a bit before stirring in 1 ¼ cups water. It will steam and bubble, so be careful.
Allow the sugar to cool to room temperature before continuing.
Sift the rice flour into a large bowl and stir in the syrup. Keep stirring until there are no lumps.
Push the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to catch any lumps.
Thoroughly grease the ramekins and divide the batter evenly between them, leaving ½ inch at the top.
Cover each ramekin with foil to prevent water from dripping onto them. (I tried to get away with covering just the steamer basket instead of each individual cake and regretted it when I saw the marks on the top.)
Fill your steamer with enough water and bring to a simmer.
Gently place the basket into the pot and cover to steam. Keep the water at a simmer and steam for two hours. Check on the water level and replenish as necessary but try not to open the steamer too often and disrupt the cooking process.
Take the cooked cakes out of the steamer and remove the foils.
Decorate the tops with sliced and artfully rolled dates while they are still hot.
Cover and refrigerate overnight to set.
Serve sliced and cold or dip slices in egg before pan-frying for a very popular and traditional presentation.
