Chao Nian Gao (Stir-Fried Chinese Rice Cakes with Napa Cabbage and Pork) For Two
By Steve DunnPublished on December 2, 2024
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Before You Begin
To save time, prepare the remaining ingredients while the pork marinates. We developed this recipe for a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet will work. You will also need a tight-fitting lid. Find sliced rice cakes, refrigerated or frozen, in Asian markets, some supermarkets, or online. If using frozen rice cakes, defrost them before cooking. Rinse the rice cakes just before cooking; if they sit with moisture clinging to them, they will stick together. The cooking moves quickly, so have all your ingredients ready.
Instructions
- Whisk ½ teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper together in medium bowl. Slice pork tenderloin crosswise ¼ inch thick, then cut each slice into ¼-inch-wide strips. Add pork to marinade and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine remaining 1½ teaspoons Shaoxing wine and 1 teaspoon oyster sauce in small bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, microwave 2 cups hot water and mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms, pressing to extract all liquid. Discard liquid and slice mushrooms thin; set aside.
- Place rice cakes in medium bowl, separating any that are stuck together. Cover with cold water and, using your hands, agitate cakes to remove excess starch. Drain and set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds. Add pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer pink, about 1 minute longer.
- Add cabbage and cook, stirring constantly to incorporate pork, until cabbage has wilted to half its volume, about 2 minutes. Stir in Shaoxing wine mixture. Spread cabbage into even layer, pour broth over cabbage, and add rice cakes on top in single layer. Increase heat to high, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover, add salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and rice cakes are tender but still chewy, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove ginger, if desired. Garnish with scallion greens and serve immediately.
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 2Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Chao nian gao, the beloved Shanghainese stir-fry of sliced nian gao (rice cakes), protein (usually pork), and vegetables glossed with an umami-rich sauce, is both auspicious fare at Lunar New Year banquets and a hearty, weeknight-friendly one-pot meal for busy cooks. Soaking strips of pork tenderloin in a mixture of Shaoxing wine, soy and oyster sauces, white pepper, vegetable and sesame oils, and a touch of cornstarch served a dual purpose: The highly seasoned liquids flavored the meat and helped it retain moisture during cooking, and the oils and cornstarch helped the mixture mimic velveting with a fraction of the work, coating the meat in a light batter that tenderized it, insulated it from the wok's heat, and gave it a silky feel. Rinsing the rice cakes rid them of excess surface starch that would otherwise cause them to stick together, and spreading them evenly over the pork and vegetables in the wok and briefly steaming them (lid-on) ensured that they turned delightfully chewy but tender. Unlike saucier stir-fries, this one should be just lightly glossed. A last-minute high-heat cook thickened the sauce and reduced it so it just coated the rice cakes, meat, and vegetables.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
To save time, prepare the remaining ingredients while the pork marinates. We developed this recipe for a 14-inch wok, but a 12-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet will work. You will also need a tight-fitting lid. Find sliced rice cakes, refrigerated or frozen, in Asian markets, some supermarkets, or online. If using frozen rice cakes, defrost them before cooking. Rinse the rice cakes just before cooking; if they sit with moisture clinging to them, they will stick together. The cooking moves quickly, so have all your ingredients ready.
Instructions
- Whisk ½ teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper together in medium bowl. Slice pork tenderloin crosswise ¼ inch thick, then cut each slice into ¼-inch-wide strips. Add pork to marinade and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine remaining 1½ teaspoons Shaoxing wine and 1 teaspoon oyster sauce in small bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, microwave 2 cups hot water and mushrooms in covered bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms, pressing to extract all liquid. Discard liquid and slice mushrooms thin; set aside.
- Place rice cakes in medium bowl, separating any that are stuck together. Cover with cold water and, using your hands, agitate cakes to remove excess starch. Drain and set aside.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in wok over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds. Add pork and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pork is no longer pink, about 1 minute longer.
- Add cabbage and cook, stirring constantly to incorporate pork, until cabbage has wilted to half its volume, about 2 minutes. Stir in Shaoxing wine mixture. Spread cabbage into even layer, pour broth over cabbage, and add rice cakes on top in single layer. Increase heat to high, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover, add salt and remaining ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and rice cakes are tender but still chewy, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove ginger, if desired. Garnish with scallion greens and serve immediately.
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