Eight-Treasure Rice

Eight-treasure rice (bābǎo fàn, literally 'eight-treasure cooked rice') is the ceremonial dessert of Shanghainese and Jiangnan banquets — served at weddings, New Year dinners and celebration meals, and designed to be as visually rewarding as it is palate-satisfying. The 'eight treasures' refer to the eight types of decorative preserved or dried ingredients used to line the mould, though in practice nine or twelve are common.

The construction works from the outside in: a round bowl is lined carefully with an arrangement of colourful preserved ingredients — typically a selection from: lotus seeds (pale, oval), longan fruit (dark brown, circular), red dates (jujube), wolfberries (bright orange-red), dried apricot pieces, melon seeds, osmanthus flower and glazed or candied winter melon. These are arranged by the cook to create a pattern that will be visible when the dome is inverted. The arrangement is decorative and takes patience.

Glutinous rice, cooked until just tender, is mixed with lard (the traditional fat that gives the rice its gloss and richness) and sugar, then packed in a layer over the decorative ingredients. At the centre a cavity is formed and filled with smooth sweet red bean paste (dòushā) — dense, dark and sweet. The cavity is sealed with more rice and the bowl placed in a steamer for 30–60 minutes.

At serving the bowl is inverted onto a plate: the steam-softened dome holds its shape, revealing the jewelled pattern of preserved fruits on the surface. A sauce of osmanthus syrup or light sugar syrup is sometimes poured over at the table. It is sweet, dense and intensely filling; portions are small.

Modern versions increasingly substitute butter for lard. The dish is easiest to find at traditional Shanghainese banquet restaurants in November and January, around the Lunar New Year.