How to Cook Nian Gao Stir Fry

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

cooking time: 1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients needed to make nian gao stir fry:

For the rice cake or nian gao:

• 16 oz glutinous rice flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 1.2 cups milk
• One can red azuki beans
• 1 tbsp baking soda

For the stir fry:

• Nian gao, sliced into long strips
• 4 chinese black mushrooms, dried
• 8 oz pork, sliced into thin strips
• 6 oz chinese napa cabbage, shredded
• 6 oz bamboo shoots, julienned
• 2 tbsp+ 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chinese rice wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• Large pinch of sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for nian gao stir fry:

• Prepare your oven by preheating it to 350 degrees F.
• To make the rice cake, add all its ingredients, except the beans into a bowl and whisk them together at moderate speed for about a couple of minutes.
• Increase the speed to high and continue to beat the mixture for another 2 minutes.
• Lightly oil a 9’’X13” cake pan with small lashing of oil and dust some rice flour on it.
• Pour half of the batter into the pan and level the surface with a spatula.
• Top it up with a layer of red azuki beans and over it with another layer of remaining batter.
• Bake the cake in the oven at the preheated temperature for about 50 minutes.
• Insert a toothpick or skewer into the centre of the cake to check its doneness. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done.
• Allow the cake to cool to room temperature and then slice it into thin strips, resembling noodles.
• Soak them in water for about 2 hours or even overnight; drain and set aside.
• Immerse the dried mushrooms in a small bowl of water and soak for a couple of hours until they soften; drain and cut into thin strips.
• Whisk the 2 tsp soy sauce and rice wine together and stir in black pepper, cornstarch and sugar; make sure that the mixture doesn’t contain lumps of the cornstarch.
• Heat oil in a wok over high flame and brown the pork until it is nearly cooked.
• Stir in the bamboo shoots, as well as mushrooms and continue to saute for a minute, stirring frequently.
• Throw in the cabbage and stir fry for a couple of minutes before smothering it with rest of the soy sauce.
• Add the nian gao and toss them together.
• Add a splash of broth, give it a nice stir and cook, covered for about 2-3 minutes at moderately low heat.
• Serve hot.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons