A white china plate has a white sticky rice dome in glossy syrup, russet bean paste patches around it, red dates, dark raisins, goji, green pumpkin seeds and half a walnut atop, with wood chopsticks resting beside the plate.
Eight treasure rice is a sweet dessert of steamed glutinous rice with red bean paste inside, topped with 8 or more kinds of preserved fruit and nuts, turned out into a dome and glazed with syrup. The sweet version is associated with Shanghai, while a savory version belongs to Cantonese and Sichuan cooking. A January 2026 account lists it as a dessert at Shanghai New Year's Eve dinners. No dated text recording its origin was found; the story of King Wu of Zhou remains a legend.
What
Eight treasure rice is a sweet dessert of steamed glutinous rice, turned out into a dome with red bean paste inside and 8 or more kinds of preserved fruit and nuts on top, finished with a light syrup. The Shanghai sweet version includes red dates and red bean paste.1,2,5,6,7
When
No dated text recording its origin was found; the legend of King Wu of Zhou is one of several origin accounts, but none of the available sources cites a classical text to support it.2,4,7
Where
The sweet version is associated with Shanghai, while a savory version belongs to Cantonese and Sichuan cooking. A January 2026 account lists it as a dessert at Shanghai New Year's Eve dinners. Its exact place of origin is not established in the available material.1,3
How
Soaked glutinous rice is steamed, mixed with sugar and fat, then pressed into a bowl over the arranged toppings with 1 layer of bean paste, steamed again, turned out and finished with syrup. Variations use coconut oil or adapt it as a Western-style dessert with butter and brown sugar.5,6,7
Why
The word for eight sounds like the word for prosperity. Associated with Chinese New Year, the dessert symbolizes harmony and abundance. The toppings serve mainly a symbolic purpose rather than contributing to taste.2,3,5,6,7
Impact and influence
A January 2026 account lists eight treasure rice as a dessert at Shanghai New Year's Eve dinners.3
Legend has it that after King Wu of Zhou overthrew the previous dynasty, a rice dessert with eight treasures was made to honor the eight officials or knights who had helped him. The accounts differ in their details, and none of them cites a classical text.
Told in: A folk tale found in English Wikipedia (which treats it as one account among several), in a student-collected interview from 2020 and in an undated restaurant description. The three differ in detail, and no classical source was found.
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the eight treasure rice I make at home, a simplified home version: one small bowl, ready-made red bean paste, and toppings chosen from what is in the house. The amounts of rice, coconut oil, sugar, bean paste and dates, the soaking and steaming times, and the method of steaming the rice and then steaming it again in the bowl, follow a recipe by a named blogger, who uses coconut oil in place of lard, and I use coconut oil too. A second recipe by another named blogger is a Western-style adaptation with butter, brown sugar, dried mango and cranberries, and I did not follow it. The other toppings and the syrup are my own choice.
Ingredients
Glutinous rice 360 ml (1½ cups)
Coconut oil 2 tablespoons, for the rice
Sugar, for the rice 1 tablespoon
Red bean paste 4 tablespoons
Red dates (jujubes) 3, pitted
Raisins 1 tablespoon
Goji berries 1 teaspoon
Pumpkin seeds 1 teaspoon
Walnut half 1
Sugar, for the syrup 1 tablespoon
Water, for the syrup 60 ml
Steps
Rinse the rice and soak it in water for at least 3 hours (the named recipe says 3 to 12 hours, so overnight is fine), then drain.
Bring the water in the steamer to a boil, lay a damp cloth on the steamer tray, spread the rice on it and steam for 30 to 45 minutes (following the named recipe). I taste a grain, and it is done when it is soft and sticky with no hard center.
While the rice is hot, tip it into a bowl and stir in the coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Brush a heatproof small bowl with a thin layer of oil (my own habit). Arrange the dates, raisins, goji berries, pumpkin seeds and walnuts on the bottom, as neatly as you like, because this side will face up when the bowl is turned out.
Spread half of the rice over the toppings and press it down gently. Spoon the bean paste on top and smooth it, then cover with the rest of the rice and press it firmly.
Put the bowl in the steamer and steam for another 30 minutes (following the named recipe), until it is hot all the way through.
Put the sugar and water in a small pot and warm over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Lift the bowl out of the steamer and wait a moment. Set a plate over the bowl, flip them together and lift the bowl away slowly. Pour the syrup over and serve hot.
Tips
Glutinous rice is very sticky, so I dip my hands and the spoon in a little water before pressing the rice and spreading the bean paste; this is my own way.
One named recipe says the toppings are symbolic rather than there for taste, so I choose by what is in the house and what the family likes, and I do not insist on exactly eight.
