From https://drivemehungry.com/stir-fried-shanghai-rice-cakes-chao-nian-gao/
stir fry, vegan, gluten-free
5 Servings
- 1 16oz. package of rice cakes (pre-soaked)
- 1 package of extra-firm tofu, pressed
- 3 T olive oil
- 5 large-ish mushrooms (dry is fine, just soak 'em), sliced
- 1 nappa cabbage, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 2 carrots, sliced thinly
- 3 scallions, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 2 T Tamari
- 2 T GF Dark Soy Sauce (or just use more Tamari)
- 2 T GF Oyster Sauce
- 2 t brown sugar
- 3/4 t brown rice vinegar
- 3 t garlic, minced
A word on the chopping: this is stir fry, so you want all the pieces to be about the same size, roughly, which makes eating with chopsticks easier, and it also cooks more evenly. If you'd prefer the green onion to be smaller, that's fine, it's up to you. If you're using dried rice cakes, soak them about 3 hours before eating, OR overnight. Any sort of rice cake is improved by a soak in water, so whatever rice cake you're using, soak them in water for 30 minutes. There's a lot of chopping here, start the rice cakes soaking, then start the chopping, they'll be ready to use when you get around to them. Oh, at some point, separate the rice cakes that are stuck together... they won't unstick while you cook them, so handle that now. After chopping, mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside. Heat a wok or large pan on medium-high heat, add the oil and a splash of Tamari, then the tofu. Stir the tofu around, coating them with the oil and Tamari. When the tofu is brown, dump them into a bowl and set it aside. Add the mushrooms and scallions to the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the carrots, stir fry for a minute more. Drain the rice cakes and toss them in to the pan with about 4 T of the sauce. Stir fry for about 4 minutes. Taste a rice cake to be sure it's fully softened. When they're ready, dump this stir-fry in progress in a very large mixing bowl (the biggest you have, even if it's hilariously huge, you'll need it). In the hot pan, stir-fry the nappa cabbage. Add in about 2T of water to speed things along. You might also consider using a lid on this pan, if you're in a hurry. As soon as it's wilty-ish, dump it into the big bowl with the rest of the stir-fry, add the rest of the sauce. You're done, serve immediately. If people are slow to come to dinner, wash a few of the really big bowls you've used, because the big bowl of stir-fry on the table will break whomever has to do dishes this night. Help 'em out a bit.