KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — We often associate nian gao or the sticky rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and brown sugar with Chinese New Year celebrations. Also known as kuih bakul or even golden cake, a bite of the sticky rice cake is believed to bring you a prosperous lunar year.

Enterprising stall owners cash in on preparing nian gao the whole year round to produce one of the nicest ways to enjoy the sticky cake — sandwiching it between slices of yam and sweet potato, coating it with batter and deep frying to a golden crunchy crust.

The fried nian gao is an ingenious blend of textures. First, you get a crunch as your teeth bite through the golden crust, then there’s the slightly soft floury texture from the yam and sweet potato slices. Last but not least, the nian gao melts in the high heat to become gooey with a stick-to-the-teeth texture.

All the stall owners make their own nian gao for this Chinese cake, as it needs to be fresh for them to cut the sticky cake into thick slices. Usually, the process can take up to 10 hours! They start with glutinous rice that is washed, dried and ground into flour. The flour is mixed with sugar and steamed to form the cakes.

Some stalls prefer to use the less sweet tasting yellow sweet potatoes for a better bite while others prefer the softer and sweeter tasting orange variant. As yam can be difficult to obtain, one stall uses two types of sweet potatoes; purple and orange to sandwich the nian gao for a sweeter taste. Try and get the fried nian gao fresh from the hot wok and you will be rewarded with a hot but tasty snack that is irresistible.

SS2 Goreng Pisang, Jalan SS2/64 (opposite Restaurant Pelita), PJ. Open: 12pm to 5pm. Closed on Mondays.

Score one of the thickest fried nian gao with thick slices of soft orange sweet potato, gooey nian gao and yam here. The 30-year-old stall also has an outlet in 1 Utama shopping mall. It’s hard to walk away with just one snack here as there are a lot of different types of goodies like banana fritters, popiah, curry puffs, cekodok and even fish balls.

Brickfields Pisang Goreng, Jalan Thambipillay (in front of Resturant One Sentral), Brickfields, KL. Open: 12pm to 5pm. No fixed days off.

Drop by for some friendly service by Uncle Chiam. While their banana fritters are top-notch with the filligree golden crunch, their fried nian gao is slightly marred with less than stellar slices of yam. Have fun spotting their basket hanging on a string from the first floor as they use it to transport their prepped ingredients.

Imbi Fried Gold Cake, Restaurant Mei Sin, Medan Imbi, KL. Open: 9am to 3pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

Previously at Restoran Win Heng Seng, this popular stall moved here a few years ago. Their fried nian gao tends to be harder on the outside but bite into a golden piece to discover molten nian gao that sticks to your teeth. They prefer using yellow sweet potatoes since it gives a better bite and is less sweet. They also make fried goodies like banana fritters and fried sesame balls.

Mobile stall in front of Restoran Shangri-La, Jalan Batai, Damansara Heights, KL. Open: 9am to 2pm. Closed on Sundays.

Find this mobile stall parked across from the coffeeshop for fried goodies and fresh fruits. The friendly stall owner makes his own nian gao every week and uses a sweeter combination of purple and orange sweet potatoes. It makes for a softer bite that can be quite addictive. In addition, there are banana fritters and even sweet potato balls made with purple sweet potatoes.

Stall outside Restoran Double Nine, Jalan Hujan Emas 4, Overseas Union Gardens, KL. Open: 11.30am to 5.30pm. Closed on Thursdays.

This stall run by a couple has been around for 34 years. It’s a popular neighbourhood stop for fried nian gao with a thinner cut sweet potato and yam slices. The nian gao is not overly sweet. According to the owners, the snack is enjoyed by all races. Unlike other stalls, the banana fritter uses a halved banana instead of a whole one. They also sell cekodok, a soft mushy doughy ball made with mashed bananas.