It’s the week before Chinese New Year! Can’t wait for the long break to come. This year is great because CNY eve is on a work weekday, so there’s an additional half a day off as well. I say, we should have that whole day off work as well.
My rooster zodiac says that the dragon year is supposed to be a much better year for us, which is a huge relief for me after going through two years of not-so-prosperous and mundane zodiac years. However, who knows what’s to come and how true such zodiac predictions are? At present, such a forecast doesn’t seem to be anywhere near realistic or hopeful. Just to clarify, I’m not looking to climb the ladders, but I’d love to have more stability and peaceful times ahead. I’ll continue to hold on to hope and luck for now.
Rice cake, in Chinese (年糕), means becoming more prosperous and attaining a higher status. I’m thinking, perhaps cooking something symbolic of wealth and prosperity can help even if work continues to suck. So here I am giving this recipe of Shanghai rice cake stir-fry a go. As it name suggests, it’s a Shanghainese dish that combines chewy rice cake with vegetables and mushroom. It’s a very tasty and healthy all-in-one plate to serve, and I love that I can bite into all the different textures all at once. The brown gravy gets absorbed by the cabbage and mushrooms, making it even more irresistible.
Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year season ahead and huat ah!
Ingredients:
- Light soy sauce: 1 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce: 1 tbsp
- Oyster sauce: 1 tbsp
- Brown sugar: 1 tsp
- Black vinegar: 1 tsp
- Garlic: 1.5 cloves, finely chopped
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Pork tenderloin: 200g, finely sliced, marinated with 1 tsp light soy sauce, a dash of white pepper & 1 tsp corn starch
- Shiitake mushroom: 3, finely sliced
- Spring onion: 1.5 stalks, finely chopped
- Rice cake: 220g, soaked overnight
- Napa cabbage: 1/2, sliced
Method:
- Combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, black vinegar & garlic. Set aside.
- Heat oil in wok. Fry pork slices till almost cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Add shiitake mushroom and spring onion into work. Fry 1min.
- Add rice cakes and half of sauce. Fry 2min.
- Add cabbage, water and remaining sauce. Fry another min.
- Return pork slices to wok and combine.
- Garnish with spring onions to serve.
Serving:
3 persons
