When I’ve told people that I made rice cakes, they’ve looked at me like I’m crazy and asked–”from scratch?!” And I realized that they’re thinking of the dry, cardboard ones at the store. Chinese rice cake, or nian gao, is an altogether different creation. It’s small round doughy and chewy medallions that when cooked properly are amazing. You can find rice cakes at any asian grocery store. For this recipe, make sure that you get the right kind of rice cakes. There are rice cakes that are frequently rolled out for Chinese New Year, and they are red, sweet rice cakes. The rice cakes in this recipe are white and typically used in stir fries.
- 1 bag of rice cakes
- 10 dried shitaki mushrooms
- 1 container of fresh portabello mushrooms
- 1 handful of fresh basil
- 3 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- salt
- 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil
- 2 cloves of chopped garlic
- 1 cup and 4 tablespoons of vegetable stock
Soak the rice cakes and dried shitake mushrooms in water. The mushrooms require less soaking time but you might as well throw them in together, which has the added benefit of allowing the rice cakes to soak up the wonderful flavoring from the dried mushrooms. In a separate pan, heat one tablespoon of sesame oil and throw in the chopped garlic and cook for a minute. Throw in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vegetable stock and mushrooms. Simmer for a few minutes, then throw in the basil. After the rice cakes and mushrooms have soaked for the necessary time, slice the mushrooms and add them into the pan. In a separate large pan, heat one tablespoon of sesame oil and 4 tablespoons of the vegetable stock on medium heat. Add the rice cakes to the large pan and sautee for 3 minutes or until the cakes appear to soften. Add in the mushroom mixture from the other pan. All the rice cakes and the mushroom mixture to simmer on low heat for another 3 minutes–taste a rice cake to make sure it’s al dente and not too chewy, and if not, cook for another minute or two being careful not to let it get mushy. Enjoy!
