[Free Pattern] Chinese New Year: Nian Gao (Kueh Bakol) Amigurumi Crochet Pattern・农历新年: 钩针编织年糕

Today is the 4th day of the Chinese New Year, and here is the next kueh amigurumi for this CNY Special — a kueh of Chinese origins called nian gao (年糕; 粘糕). CNY and nian gao are inseparable. So, what kind of CNY special would this be if I didn't include this sweet, toffee-brown sticky rice cake that is traditionally made, offered to the gods, and consumed during the CNY period?! Nian gao is a CNY staple because of its place in traditional CNY customs and beliefs. Among the many traditional CNY customs, nian gao is offered to the Kitchen God one week before CNY, and it is eaten by the household and served to their guests on the 4th day. More on this below.

I wouldn't be surprised if, like the pineapple tart amigurumi (here), there's some head scratching and questions like "huh, nian gao is a kueh?!" Indeed, nian gao is a kueh. Although best known by its Chinese name, nian gao also goes by other names here: kueh bakol or kueh bakul to the Peranakans, kuih bakul to the Malays, ti kueh to the Hokkien Chinese, and kue keranjang or doldol cina to the Indonesians. (It's becoming clear to me in the course of this project that a kueh is never with just one name....) Its Hokkien name ti kueh literally means "sweet cake" for obvious reasons; it's tooth-achingly sweet. Its Baba Malay and Malay names, and Indonesian name are purely descriptive, literally "basket cake", referencing the way this kueh is traditionally made. Dodol Cina means "Chinese dodol", referencing the kueh's Chinese origins, and dodol is a sweet toffee-like confection in Indonesian cuisine.

As with most CNY staples, nian gao has auspicious double meaning. Nian gao written as 粘糕 literally means "sticky cake" (descriptive), and written as 年糕 literally means "year cake" (descriptive of its function). The name is a homophone for 年高, literally "higher [each] year", and thus nian gao's symbolic meaning is 年年高升 (nián nián gāo shēng) or 步步高升 (bù bù gāo shēng), Chinese expressions which mean "rise to greater heights year after year" or "rise to greater heights step by step". Whether the "greater heights" be success, prosperity, fortune, career or scholarly pursuits. This double meaning was mentioned in the writings of 17th century Chinese scholar and politician Liu Tong. (Incidentally, this is also why the layered kueh lapis sagu and kueh lapis legit are also popular snacks during CNY.) Read on for more about the nian gao or skip to the pattern.

新年快乐, 年年高升! Next item on this Chinese New Year special is nian gao amigurumi (IG post).

There are different types of nian gao, each with its regional characteristics, but it is generally a sticky block made from glutinous rice flour and sugar, lined with a wrapper, and often decorated in red and/or typical CNY decorations in red or gold. There are also savoury nian gao, like the Ningbo nian gao, Shanghai nian gao, Fuzhou nian gao, etc. which are usually stir-fried as a savoury dish (one of my personal CNY meal favourites). For the record, Korean tteok and Japanese mochi, are also types of nian gao, both also originating from the Chinese nian gao, and are also eaten during the New Year (Seollal for Koreans, Shogatsu for Japanese). In Singapore, the most common nian gao type is the Cantonese/Guangdong style nian gao or the Hainanese style nian gao (I don't know exactly which!) — both made with glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, and the latter typically wrapped with banana leaf. So, this is the type of nian gao I've tried to make as my nian gao amigurumi. But the nian gao of my childhood is actually not of this type.

There are many ways to eat nian gao; the common denominator is they tend to involve frying. In short, nian gao fritters with variations. The typical method is to dip nian gao slices in beaten egg and fry it, some also dip it in batter and fry it. Some sandwich it between taro and sweet potato slices, some do that with just sweet potato, with yam and taro, some use lotus root, some wrap it with spring roll or popiah skin and fry it, some bake it in puff pastry, some roll it in crushed nuts or grated coconut. And as always with Singaporeans and things traditional, there are modern reinterpretations, e.g. nian gao tart and nian gao roll, or nian gao made with non-traditional flavours such as pandan or black sesame.

For its rather dull appearance, the nian gao is rich in Chinese traditions, history and symbolism. (Even if its appearance and taste isn't.) Rice cakes in general (of which nian gao belongs) have a long history in China. A 6th century Chinese recipe book, the Shi Ci (食次) contains a recipe for making a rice cake called bái jiǎn táng (白茧糖). Nian gao can be said to be around 1,500 years old, tracing back to the Northern and Southern dynasties period in Chinese history. An early variant of nian gao was mentioned in the Qimin Yaoshu (齐民要术), an ancient agricultural text believed to have been completed sometime between 533–554 AD.

Deeply rooted in Chinese culture and history, the nian gao and its customs were brought to our region via Chinese traders and settlers, and some of these customs continue to be closely observed by some Chinese and Peranakans here. Beyond its symbolism of annual growth, nian gao holds a special and significant place in traditional Chinese beliefs and rituals, and is jammed with superstitions and taboos — to borrow Christopher Tan's words from The Way of Kueh, nian gao is "perhaps the most taboo-festooned kueh".

The origins of our nian gao practices are shrouded in legends and myths. One of these traditional practices is offering nian gao to the Kitchen God, a ritual that is still observed by some Chinese and Peranakan families today. At the end of each year, the Kitchen God leaves the household he protects to ascend to Heaven to make his annual report to the Jade Emperor, and the Jade Emperor would then decide if he should reward or punish the family in question. On the day the Kitchen God ascends to Heaven, families offer nian gao and other sweet offerings to the Kitchen God either to butter him up or to glue up his mouth, so that he wouldn't tell the Jade Emperor about the family's bad behaviour. In Singapore and Malaysia (and some of our Southeast Asian neighbours, e.g. in Vietnam), this offering is done a week before CNY, a day which we call Xiao Guo Nian 小过年 or Guo Xiao Nian 过小年, i.e. Little New Year.

Then, on the 4th day of CNY, traditionally known as 接神日 (jiē shén rì), the Kitchen God returns to the mortal world. Thus on the 4th day, it is customary to remain at home in order to welcome him back with food and fruit offerings. For Chinese and Peranakan families that observe this traditional ritual, the nian gao is removed from the altar on the 4th day, and prepared for consumption and served to family and guests, along with other snacks and confections. Then again on the 8th day of the CNY, nian gao is made and offered to the Jade Emperor, for his birthday on the 9th day. This day is extremely important to Hokkien Chinese and Peranakans who still observe this ritual.

The legend of the Nian...and why we guo nian (过年). This miniature lion dance costume was on display at Hida no Takumi Bunkakan in Hida-Furukawa, Gifu (visited in 2017).

Another legend revolves around the Nian, a mythical beast that emerges from its lair once a year to wreck havoc and devour people. If this sounds familiar, it's because the Nian is central to many traditional CNY customs, including putting up red decorations, setting off firecrackers and the lion dance. People lived in terror of the beast until one day a traveller (or an elder or beggar, in some versions) advised the villagers to scare off the Nian with red decorations, loud noises and firecrackers. Following his advice, the villagers were thus able to overcome the Nian (hence the term guo nian 过年). Another version of the legend tells of how a clan called Gao made rice cakes and put these out as food offerings to the Nian, hoping that it would eat those instead. The Nian ate the rice cakes and returned to its lair, its hunger satisfied, and the villagers were safe. Since then, it became a new year practice for people to make and eat nian gao in celebration.

Yet another legendary origin tells of how the nian gao was made in honour of Wu Zixu, a Wu general and politician during the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). According to a Suzhou legend, Wu Zixu led the construction of a defensive wall around the capital Gusu (today Suzhou), and advised the people to dig under the wall in time of need. After his death, Wu fell to Yue, and the people were starving when the Wu capital's food supply was cut off. They remembered Wu Zixu's advice and dug beneath the wall. It turned out that the wall foundations were special bricks made with glutinous rice flour, which saved them from starvation. After that, every household made nian gao every year to commemorate him.

Legends are legends. But the custom of eating nian gao is also recorded in Chinese historical records. As far back as the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), there was a custom called deng gao, which meant "to mount/rise higher up". Sound familiar? As mentioned above, the nian gao's double meaning is 年年高升 (nián nián gāo shēng), to rise to greater heights each year. Back then however, this custom of eating sticky cakes was observed on the Double Ninth and not the new year. Somewhere in the passage of time, it became practised on CNY, as recorded in other historical records.

Found an old photo from 2015 CNY Day 2 lunch gathering... The platter of little bites with Fuzhou nian gao on the left of the century egg. My paternal family usually dips the slices in egg and fries them.

Neither my family nor I observe the traditional superstitions and rituals surrounding nian gao. Nonetheless, it is still meaningful to me on a personal level. My childhood memories of nian gao are distinctly Foochow, and are quite different from my husband's. My paternal family is Foochow, thus many of the traditional CNY foods of my childhood were Fuzhou specialties. Up until his mobility was compromised in the later years of his life, my Fuzhou-born paternal grandfather would make his annual visit to the Singapore Foochow Association to give his CNY greetings to his social circle, and to get Fuzhou nian gao, Fuzhou fish balls and rou yan for CNY. Some of his students and friends from Fuzhou would also gift homemade hong zao to him each CNY. (Yup, hong zao can be homemade, see for e.g. this story on Periuk). In my childhood home, reunion dinner on CNY Eve would never be without Fuzhou fish balls and rou yan. Then, Day 1 of CNY would start with Fuzhou nian gao and Nonya chap chye. And on Day 2, the extended family lunch would always include hong zao chicken with mee sua, Nonya chap chye, and would also often include braised pork belly gua bao, stir-fried ba kui (白粿), or fish maw soup. The chap chye and fish maw soup were a legacy from my paternal grandmother's Peranakan roots. Although my paternal grandparents have long passed on, my dad continues the family tradition (to some extent) of Fuzhou fish balls and rou yan, though these are increasingly harder to get. He now gets them from Seow Choon Hua, which is one of the few places in Singapore we can now get Fuzhou food.

Unlike the Guangdong/Cantonese (or Hainanese?) style nian gao that is the more commonly consumed type here in Singapore, Fuzhou nian gao is much lesser known and rarely available here. It is made with brown sugar, sweet potato flour and tapioca flour, yam, peanuts, sometimes melon seeds, and decorated with red dates. It wasn't until I was around 12 or 13 years old that I realised that my idea of nian gao was different from others. Now, after eating both types of nian gao, I still prefer the Fuzhou nian gao over the Guangdong one because it is less sweet and has more texture and flavours. Unfortunately, the Fuzhou nian gao is rare and fast disappearing here in Singapore.

NIAN GAO AMIGURUMI CROCHET PATTERN

Local kueh amigurumi project CNY special: nian gao amigurumi.

Materials & Tools:

• Yarn in brown, green, and red
• 2.5mm crochet hook
• Cardboard or stiff plastic sheet, cut to size
• Stuffing
• Stitch markers
• Scissors
• Yarn needle
• Safety eyes, embroidery thread (optional)

For my 2 nian gao amigurumi, I used Scheepjes Catona No.383 Ginger Gold, No.205 Kiwi, No.395 Willow, a little bit of No.115 Hot Red, DMC 25 embroidery thread No.3371 (dark brown) and No.3865 (off-white), and Anchor stranded stocktwist embroidery thread No.36 (rose pink).

Abbreviations (US terms):

R : round
Row : row
MR : magic ring
ch : chain
sl st : slip stitch
st(s) : stitch(es)
sc : single crochet
dc : double crochet
inc : increase
BLO : back loops only
(...) : a set of pattern instructions
[...] : total number of sts in the round / row

Finished Size:

Nian Gao: approx. 6.3cm in diameter × 4cm in height
Small Nian Gao: approx. 4.7cm at its smallest × 5cm at its widest × 3.3cm in height.
*Note: The pattern for the Small Nian Gao has not been revised.

Pattern Notes:

• I used the invisible fasten off for the kueh part. For how to do the invisible join/fasten off, see these tutorials by The Stitch Story, by One Dog Woof.
• As with the previous pineapple tart amigurumi, I added a face to my amigurumi, but I confess that this is not something I am good at. For tips on amigurumi face embroidery, please check out these tutorials by Tiny Curl, Critter Crochet, The Friendly Red Fox, Hobium Yarns. I've also learnt a lot from patterns that were created by crochet designers such as A Menagerie of Stitches, All About Ami, AmiguruMEI, Aquariwool, Crafty Gibbon (just to name a few).

NIAN GAO

Kueh

Using brown yarn, work in rounds,
R1. MR, 6 sc. [6]
R2. 6 inc. [12]
R3. (1 sc, inc) 6 times. [18]
R4. (inc, 2 sc) 6 times. [24]
R5. (3 sc, inc) 6 times. [30]
R6. (2 sc, inc, 2 sc) 6 times. [36]
R7. (5 sc, inc) 6 times. [42]
R8. (3 sc, inc, 3 sc) 6 times. [48]
R9. 48 sc. [48]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

Banana Leaf Basket

Using green yarn, repeat R1 to R8 of the kueh above.
Then continue to work in rows around R8,
Row 1. At the end of R8, sl st to first st of R8, then ch 14, 1 dc into the 3rd ch from hook, 11 dc back down the ch. Sl st into the 2nd st in R8. [12]
Row 2. Sl st into the next 2 sts in R8, turn, 12 dc. [12]
Row 3. Ch 2, turn, 12 dc. Skip the st in R8, and sl st into the next st in R8. [12]
Row 4. Repeat Row 2.
Row 5. Ch 2, turn, BLO 12 dc. Skip the st in R8, and sl st into the next st in R8. [12]
Row 6. Repeat Row 2.
Row 7. Repeat Row 3.
Row 8. Repeat Row 2.
Row 9. Repeat Row 5.
Repeat Rows 6 to 9 until there are 24 rows in total.
At the end of Row 24, sl st into the corner of Row 1, then sl st through the front loops of the sts in Row 24 and the remaining ch loops in R1 to join Rows 1 and 24 together.
Fasten off and weave in the end.

Ribbon (optional)

Using red yarn, work in rows,
Row 1. Ch 5, 1 dc in th 3rd ch from hook, 3 dc. [4]
Row 2-3. Ch 2, turn, 4 dc. [4]
Row 4. Ch 1, sc around the piece (2 sc into edge of each row), working an inc in the outer corners. Sl st to first st to close Row 4. [About 24 sts in total]
Fasten off and weave in end. Pinch the centre of the piece and using a long strand of the same yarn, wind it around the centre a few times, then secure in the back with a knot. Leave a long tail for sewing.

TO COMPLETE

1. Create a folded edge for the top of the Banana Leaf Basket. First, turn the Banana Leaf Basket over to the wrong side. At about 1cm (3 sts) from the edge, fold the top down into the Basket (wrong side). Pin in place. Using the same yarn as the Basket, stitch the edge to the inner stitches on the side of the Basket, ensuring that the stitches cannot be seen from the outside. There is no need to stitch through every stitch, just at a few regular intervals in order to secure the edge to the inside of the Basket. Do not pull the stitches too tightly or the side will warp.

Loosely stitch the top edge of the Banana Leaf Basket to the inner stitches on the side.

2. If adding an amigurumi face, insert the safety eyes and stitch on the amigurumi face. The amigurumi face can be placed on the top or on the side of the work. If using the Ribbon, attach it to the side of the Banana Leaf Basket. See the pictures for an idea of placement.

3. Cut 2 pieces of the cardboard or plastic sheet to fit the top and bottom of the Banana Leaf Basket. Place the bottom piece in the Banana Leaf Basket. Stuff well, but not to the brim. Place the top piece on top of the stuffing. If safety eyes were inserted into the top of the amigurumi, punch out 2 holes in the top piece of cardboard/plastic sheet where the safety eyes are positioned, to allow the back of the safety eyes to pass through the cardboard/plastic sheet. Then place the top piece on top of the stuffing.

4. Align the Kueh to the Banana Leaf Basket, at around 2 sts down from the folded top. It should be just above the part where the edge was stitched to secure the fold (Step 2). Using the yarn tail, join the pieces together by whip stitching through the front loops of the Kueh and the dc posts of the Banana Leaf Basket — whip stitch 2 sts of the Kueh to 1 dc post (48 sts to 24 posts). Make sure the stitches do not show on the other side of the Banana Leaf Basket. Secure and hide the tail inside the work.

Attach the Kueh top to the Banana Leaf Basket by whip stitching through the front loops of the Kueh and the dc posts of the Banana Leaf Basket.

5. Shape the amigurumi a little by pushing down the top to make sure the sides of the Kueh piece are concave (see picture).

6. To finish, you can tie a length of raffia or red ribbon around the amigurumi (if the Ribbon was omitted), and/or glue on a red fú (福) sticker on the amigurumi (on top or on the side).

SMALL NIAN GAO

Kueh

Using brown yarn, work in rounds,
R1. MR, 6 sc. [6]
R2. 6 inc. [12]
R3. (1 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. [18]
R4. (2 sc, inc) repeat 6 times. [24]
R5. (3 sc, inc) 6 times. [30]
R6. (2 sc, inc, 2 sc) repeat 6 times. [36]
R7. 36 sc. [36]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

Banana Leaf Basket

Using green yarn, repeat R1 to R6 of the kueh above.
Then, continue to work in rows around R6,
Row 1. Ch 11, 1 dc into the 3rd ch from hook, 8 dc back down the ch. Sl st into the first st in R6. [9]
Row 2. Sl st into the next 2 sts, turn, 9 dc. [9]
Row 3. Ch 2, turn, BLO 9 dc. [9]
Row 4. Repeat Row 2.
Row 5. Repeat R3.
Repeat Row 2 to Row 3 until there are 24 rows in total.
At the end of Row 24, sl st into the corner of Row 1, then sl st through the front loops of R24 and the remaining ch loops of R1 to join Rows 1 and 24 together.
Fasten off and weave in the end.

TO COMPLETE

1. If adding an amigurumi face, insert the safety eyes and stitch on the amigurumi face. The amigurumi face can be placed on the top or on the side of the work. See the pictures for an idea of placement.

2. Cut 2 pieces of cardboard or plastic sheet to fit the top and bottom of the Banana Leaf Basket. Place the bottom piece on in the Banana Leaf Basket. Stuff well, but not to the brim. Place the top piece on top of the stuffing. If safety eyes were inserted into the top of the amigurumi, punch out 2 holes in the top piece of cardboard/plastic sheet where the safety eyes are positioned, to allow the back of the safety eyes to pass through the cardboard/plastic sheet. Then place the top piece on top of the stuffing.

3. Align the Kueh to the Banana Leaf Basket, at around 1 st below the edge of the Banana Leaf Basket. Using the yarn tail, join the pieces together by whip stitching through the front loops of the Kueh and the dc posts of the Banana Leaf Basket (36 sts to 24 posts). Make sure the stitches do not show on the other side of the Banana Leaf Basket. Secure and hide the tail inside the work.

4. Shape the nian gao amigurumi a little by pushing down the top to make sure the sides of the Kueh piece are concave (see picture).

5. To finish, you can finish it up the same way as the larger nian gao amigurumi above, with a length of raffia or red ribbon around the amigurumi, or a red fú (福) sticker on the amigurumi (on top or on the side).

* * *

Now, I'm off for some real nian gao and a little cleaning up. Thus far, this CNY's festivities are fairly quiet again, with the pandemic still ongoing and local social restrictions at max. 5 visitors per household per day. I can only hope that this Year of the Tiger will be a better year, and one of vitality and good health!

Until the next kueh amigurumi, which will be another CNY staple...

新年快乐, 虎虎生威, 幸福安康! Wishing you all a Happy Chinese New Year. May the Year of the Tiger be full of vitality, happiness, peace and good health.

* * *

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have fun making this crochet nian gao. As with all my other patterns, I would love to see how your finished items turned out, so please tag me with my Instagram handle @yotsuba_blythes.

While I'm happy to share my pattern without charge and would be delighted to see it being used, please note that my pattern is for personal use only. Please respect my legal and moral rights as the author with respect to this pattern and all the images herein. This pattern and images are not for commercial use, sale or distribution. The sale of this pattern or any of the images is not permitted without my prior written consent. If you wish to share this pattern, please link to this post and my Instagram profile @yotsuba_blythes. You are welcome to sell limited quantities of the finished items you have made from this pattern.