Stir-Fried Rice Cake

A delicious and typical Shanghai dish made with chewy rice cakes stir fried together with vegetables and meat, although very popular during Chinese New Year it has been a daily and regular dish on our table.

If you never had this rice cake you are missing out…I can guarantee that once you try, it will be your favorite…

– What is Asian rice cake?

This is not your usual rice cake, the ones that you find in the cracker section of the supermarket…this are made of a mix of regular rice and glutinous rice flour.

The rice cake is opaque and hard when you buy them, and soften once cooked, and have a nice chewiness.

If you like chewy texture you will definitely love these little bites of rice loaded with the broth flavor and packed with lots of vegetables and meat such as pork or chicken.

– Where can I find rice cake?

These rice cake can be found in Asian market as they are very popular in Korean cuisine as well. They are usually in the refrigerator section. They come in various shape, as a stick, peanut shape of sliced.

– How can I cook rice cake?

First you need to soak the rice cake for a few minutes and separate them. Drain the water and then boil in water. Many recipes skip the boiling part as they add the drained rice cake directly to the stir-fried. I prefer to boil first as give the final dish a less stick together…

– Ready to give this Asian rice cake a try?

Ingredients:

300 g pork loin, cut into strips (or chicken if you prefer)
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

2.2 lbs ( 1kg) rice cakes
1 medium size napa cabagge, sliced
4-5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water and sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4-5 green onion, cut into 1 inch length
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking wine
Ground white pepper and salt to taste

Method:

Slice the pork into strips and add the garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch and oil. Mix well and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to half hour.

Rinse the rice cakes in water and let them soak for a few minutes, then drain.

Cut the napa cabbage into strips. Slice the soaked shiitake mushrooms and the green onion. Set everything aside.

In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, 2 tablespoons water, cooking wine, salt and pepper.

In a large pan pot boil water and place the rice cake until the all come to the surface. Drain well and set aside.

Preheat a wok or large skillet medium-high heat until very hot, add 1 tablespoon oil and sear the pork and browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

On the same pan add the mushroom, sauté for a minute and then add the sliced onion, cabbage and green onion. Stir fry on high heat for a minute or so.

Add the browned pork back to the pan, the rice cakes and mix well, always scooping up from the bottom of the pan, avoiding the rice cake to stick on the bottom. Add the mix sauce and mix well until all well combined.

Adjust for more salt or pepper as needed.

Serve immediately, hot.

– Care for more Asian dishes? Look at these recipes…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Taiwanese Turnip Cake

White radish and rice flour are the base of this savory cake. Traditionally served around Chinese New Year for good luck and very popular dish in dim sum year around.

My mom used to make this cake quiet often and I never thought in making it as occasionally when visiting my mom, I will come home with a big piece of this cake and will kill the craving for it.

I bought one turnip and used half to make soup…didn’t know what to do with the leftover…called my mom and got the recipe.

– What is turnip cake?

Before any confusion, this is a savory cake, yes, savory… made with shredded white turnip or daikon mixed with rice flour. This cake can be plain or mixed with shiitake mushrooms, green onion, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, bacon…

– How do I make turnip cake?

The rice flour and shredded turnip with whatever ingredients you want to add is cooked by steam. Once cooled, the cake is sliced, and pan fried before serving. The amount of shredded turnip added to the rice flour is totally up to you, the more the tastier.

– How the turnip cake tastes?

The turnip cake is slightly crispy on the outside and soft, moist on the inside. It can be served with a soy sauce base sauce with or without chili.

– Is there a ratio between rice flour and liquid?

According to mom’s recipe to get the perfect texture and consistency, 1500 ml of liquid should be added to 1 lb of rice flour.

– Should we make the turnip cake?

Please bare in mind that I only had ½ turnip, therefore adapt accordingly if following this recipe.

I used the Tatung steamer when steaming the cake batter.

Instead of pan frying the turnip cake I used the air-fryer, which turned out to be awesome.

I served this cake with a sauce made with finely minced garlic and soy sauce.

Ingredients:

250 g turnip radish, peeled and shredded
3 dry shiitake mushrooms
2-3 green onions or scallions
250 g rice flour (not glutinous flour)
2 teaspoons corn starch
Salt and ground white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
420 ml liquid (water plus the liquid from turnip)

Method:

In a small bowl soak the mushrooms in 1/3 cup warm water for approximately 20 minutes or until softened. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove the stems and cut into small pieces.

Finely chop green onion and set aside.

In a pan or wok, add the olive oil and sauté the mushroom and add the green onion until golden and fragrant. Remove from the pan and set aside.

On the same pan sauté the shredded turnip under medium heat, cook until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

In the meantime, in a medium bowl mix the rice flour, corn starch with 420 ml of liquid (cooking liquid from turnip, mushroom water and plain water). Add the drained cooked turnip and mix.

Return rice flour/turnip mixture back to the pan and add salt, pepper and mushroom/green onion. Cook under medium heat, stirring constantly as the rice flour batter cook the consistency will thicken.

Transfer the batter into a heatproof container (I used a rectangle Pyrex) and steam under medium-high heat. I used Tatung steamer, added 2 cups of water on the outside and set it to steam.

If steaming in the stove, make sure to check the water level and replenish if necessary. Once cooked remove the bowl from the steamer and allow to cool before slicing.

Remove the cake from the container and slice into approximately ½ inch thick or into cubes. Pan fry with a little of oil until both sides are golden brown.

Serve immediately, with the sauce of your preference.

– Interested in more Asian Inspired recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that there are my types of radish? Radish comes in a variety of shapes, lengths and colors. The main component of a radish is water, up to 95%. Radishes contain vitamin C and other nutrients.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!

Pearl Meatballs

These is a simple recipe for meatballs covered with a layer of glutinous rice. The combination of texture is just magical…

Have you ever missed food that you used to eat when little? When living in Brazil my mom used to make these meatballs covered with a layer of glutinous rice, aka sticky rice. Since I am a big fan of anything “glutinous” it is not surprise that this would be one of my favorite dishes. Now, don’t ask me why pearl, as from my understanding pearl should be smooth and elegant and the look of this so called “pearl meatballs” do not resemble in any way or shape (maybe the shape being round) of a pearl…to me personally they look more like an albino porcupine…with the glutinous rice going in every possible direction.

Regardless of the shape and name, the combination of the juicy meatball with the sticky rice is just amazing…you will not believe how tasty and detectable this combination is until you try it. I must admit that mine did not come out as nice looking as I remember my mom’s…but still tasted terrific. As for my husband, it was his first time seeing and eating these meatballs covered with “sticky” rice and for my surprised he enjoyed it. It is a very simple recipe, you just need a little planning as the glutinous rice needs to the soaked overnight for easy cooking.

So gather the ingredients below and give these little pearls or whatever name you like a try.

Ingredients:

½ cup glutinous rice
1 lb lean ground pork
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and finely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons ginger, finely grated
3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cooking wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Green peas, soybean and/or carrot in cubes for decoration

Method:

The day before, rinse the sticky rice until the water runs mostly clear and soak overnight at room temperature.

On the day, drain well all the water from the glutinous rice by using a strainer and transfer on a deep dish or plate.

Mix the ground pork with all the other ingredients together except the glutinous rice, carrot and pea. Mix well, until all the meat and the other ingredients are binding together.

Make small balls with the meat mixture. I personally put a glove on my left hand and pick a small amount of the meat mixture, gently make a fist and scoop the balls of meat forming in between my thumb and pointer finger using a wet spoon so the meatballs will not stick to it.

Gently drop the meatball on the plate with the glutinous rice and roll the balls until all of it is coated with the glutinous rice. Repeat the process with the remaining meat mixture.

Decorate each meatball with carrot or pea.

Steam the meatballs on high heat for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the meatballs and the glutinous rice are completely cooked. The glutinous rice will be somewhat translucent.

Serve hot with soy sauce, chili sauce or both.

Did you know that glutinous rice is gluten free? Yes, the name is very deceiving…it is called glutinous due to its stickiness and glue-like after cooking. Glutinous rice is also called sticky rice and sweet rice. Glutinous rice is also ground to make flour and used in many Asian desserts, also know as mocha flour.