from Duckweed
Rice cake stir fry (炒年糕, Chao Nian Gao), a Shanghainese dish, earns its place on the Autumn Festival menu because nian gao means a higher year, a wish for growth and good fortune. It comes together in just 25 minutes for a chewy satisfying side. It is festive, filling, and a little playful all at once.
Ingredients
Marinating:
8 oz (225 g) chicken, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Stir Fry:
12 oz (340 g) baby bok choy , cut to bite-size pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
4 cups rice cake, sliced (pre-soak if using dried)
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)
Instructions
If using dried rice cakes, pre-soak them in water for about 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. Once done, separate the rice cakes with your hands so they’re not stuck together.
Add the chicken in a medium-sized bowl along with the marinating ingredients. Mix well with your hand so the chicken is coated evenly.
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet until hot. Add the beaten eggs. Cook for 30 seconds until the bottom is set, then scramble until the eggs are just cooked. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and spread out the chicken with minimal overlap. Let cook without moving until the bottom turns light golden, 30 seconds. Flip to cook the other side until just turning white, another 30 seconds or so. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the rice cake. Stir a few times and spread the rice cake into one layer. Pour in the chicken broth. Cook over low heat for 1 minute. Uncover and add the baby bok choy. Cover and cook for another minute, until the rice cake just turned tender and the bok choy is not quite cooked.
Add the green onion and ginger. Give it a quick stir.
Pour in the sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add back the cooked chicken and eggs. Cook and stir until the sauce is absorbed.
Serves 4
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: To make the dish gluten free, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine. Replace tamari for the soy sauce. Use the same soy sauce if you don’t have both dark and light. Don’t like bok choy? Substitute spinach, leeks or mustard greens. Add water chestnuts for crunch.
Contents and images used with permission by Canadian Cookbooks.