Taiwanese stir-fried rice cakes with pork and greens is known as Nian-Gao in Taiwan.
It’s a popular dish that you’ll find in most Taiwanese restaurants. Traditionally cooked with mustard greens and pork, this disk reminds me of good ole home cooking.
This version uses leafy greens that you can find in most local grocery stores and is so easy to make for a quick lunch or comforting dinner.
This savory stir-fry is balanced with the chewiness of the rice cakes and the savoriness of the pork and oyster sauce.
Taiwanese Rice Cakes
Rice cakes are readily available in most Asian grocery stores. The kind I usually buy are vacuum sealed in the freezer section. A common misnomer is that traditionally Rice Cakes are of Korean origin, hence most brands have Korean label. They come in thin oval and whole logs. Make sure you buy rice cakes in thin oval shapes. This makes it quicker to cook and simplifies the process of cooking!
Substitutions
You can substitute the pork for thinly sliced chicken breast or beef.
Shitake mushrooms and sliced green onions are great optional ingredients to add extra umami. Saute the shitake mushrooms before adding the leafy greens and protein.
For leafy greens, I prefer to use napa cabbage, bok choy, Taiwanese cabbage, or mustard greens. Feel free to substitute your favorite hearty greens.
Tips and Instructions
Soak the rice cakes in cold tap water for minimum of 30 minutes, up to overnight. Drain.
Marinate the sliced pork with soy sauce, sesame oil, chinese cooking wine, ground pepper, and corn starch. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes so the flavors fully develop. The corn starch tenderizes the protein, especially after cooking the protein over a high heat.
Print
Stir Fried Rice Cakes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups sliced Rice Cakes
- 8 oz Pork Loin, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
- 1/2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Corn Starch
- Ground Pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 cups chopped Bok Choy or Napa Cabbage
- 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Add rice cakes to a medium sized bowl. Cover with water and let the rice cakes soak for 30 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, add the pork, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, Sesame Oil, Corn Starch, and ground pepper. Mix and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Heat a wok or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the pork to the pan and cook until the pork is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside. Wipe the pan.
- To the pan, add the vegetables and drained rice cakes. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables turn a bright green and rice cakes are tender. Add the pork back to the pan. Add the oyster sauce and remaining soy sauce and stir.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: rice cakes, chinese, takeout
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