INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

"This dessert is known as eight-treasure or eight-precious or even
eight-jewel pudding because in China the design on the top of it was
made with 8 different kinds of dried and candied fruits or nuts --
such as dried lotus seeds, candied green or red plums, seeded  dragon's
eye nuts, watermelon seeds, preserved dates, dried jujubes,  candied
orange peel, candied red or green cherries, and blanched  walnuts. The
version described here is simply decorated with pitted  dates, dried
jujubes and candied cherries."  Prepare ahead: 1. In a large bowl,
cover the rice with cold water and  soak for 2 hours.  2. In a 12-inch
wok or 10-inch skillet, melt the 1/4 cup lard over  moderate heat. Add
the chopped dates and red-bean paste, and cook  over low heat, stirring
frequently, for 20 minutes, or until the  mixture begins to come away
from the sides of the pan. emove from the  pan to a small bowl and cool
to room temperature.  3. Combine the jujubes and 2 cups cold water in a
2-quart saucepan.  Over high heat, bring the water to a boil, then
reduce the heat to  low and simmer the jujubes, covered, for about 10
minutes. Drain the  jujubes through a sieve, and, when they are cool
enough to handle,  cut them in half and remove and discard the pits.
4. Have the rice, date and bean-paste mixture, jujubes, cherries,
sugar, water, almond extract and cornstarch all within easy reach.  To
cook: 5. Pour enough boiling water into the lower part of a  steamer to
come within an inch of the cooking rack (or use a steamer  substitute).
Line the rack with a double layer of paper towels. Drain  the rice and
spread it evenly over the lined rack. Over high heat,  bring the water
in the steamer to a rolling boil, cover the pan  tightly and steam the
rice for 30 minutes, or until the rice is  thoroughly cooked,
replenishing the water if it boils away.  6. Transfer the rice to a
bowl, and stir into it the 2 tablespoons of  sugar and 2 tablespoons of
melted lard. Spoon half the rice into a  shallow heat-proof bowl (about
6 inches across and 3 inches deep). On  top, place the red-bean-paste
mixture, spreading it to within 1/2  inch of the sides of the bowl.
Place the remaining rice over it,  spreading it out evenly to the edges
of the bowl and pressing down on  it lightly with the palm of your
hand. Put an inverted dinner plate  over the top of the bowl, and,
grasping the edges of both the plate  and the bowl, turn them over
together. Lift the bowl up gently to  unmold the pudding.  7. Now
decorate the sides and top of the pudding with the jujubes,  halved
dates and candied cherries. Any sort of design you devise  would be
proper. For instance, the bottom edge of the pudding may be  decorated
with a row of date halves spaced about an inch apart, the  top edge
rimmed with jujubes, laid side by side, and the top of the  pudding
ornamented with flowers and leaves made of cherries.  8. When the
decoration is complete, gently spread a long piece of  plastic wrap
over it to hold the fruit in place, invert the bowl  again and
carefully set it over the top of the pudding. Grasping the  edges of
the bowl and plate together, turn the bowl over and remove  the plate.
Bring the water in the steamer to a boil again, place the  bowl on the
rack and cover the pan tightly. Steam the pudding for an  hour,
replenishing the water when it boils away. Have a kettle of  boiling
water handy.  To Serve: 9. A few minutes before the pudding is done,
make the syrup  by combining the 1/4 cup of sugar with the cup of water
in a small  saucepan and boiling it until the sugar dissolves. Add the
almond  extract, give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir to recombine
it and  sitr it into the syrup. Cook, stirring, for a few seconds until
the  syrup thickens slightly and becomes clear. Now remove the pudding
from the steamer and place a circular serving plate over it. Grasping
bowl and plate securely, turn them over. The pudding should slide out
easily. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap. Pour the hot syrup over
the pudding and serve at once.  Source: Time-Life Foods of the World:
Chinese Cooking  Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #082 by Linda Place
<placel@worldnet.att.net> on Mar 22, 1997

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 269
Calories From Fat: 89
Total Fat: 9.8g
Cholesterol: 5.4mg
Sodium: 4.1mg
Potassium: 245.3mg
Carbohydrates: 46.1g
Fiber: 3.4g
Sugar: 32.6g
Protein: 1.8g