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!

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