These sautéed or stir-fried rice cakes are sweet, salty, spicy, and addicting. There are two kinds of rice cake that work great in this recipe: noodlelike Korean duk (aka dduk or deok) and Chinese New Year cake, which is formed into long, ½-inch-thick white noodles and either sold whole (usually fresh), cut into sticks, or sliced and frozen. Japanese mochi, available in various shapes, also work well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound rice cakes
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons Korean-Style Chile Paste (page 664) or gochujang, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil
- Pepper
- Chopped scallions for garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds (see page 299) for garnish
How to Make It
- If the rice cakes are frozen, soak them in a large bowl of cold water for a few minutes until they’re thawed a bit, then cook them in a pot of boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes, drain, and slice when cool enough to handle.
- Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and chile paste in a small bowl and set aside.
- Put the vegetable oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the rice cakes, soy sauce mixture, and a sprinkle of pepper; cook until the rice cakes are coated in the sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. If the pan dries out, add a couple of tablespoons of the water. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
- RICE CAKES WITH SWEET SOY SAUCE AND VEGETABLES A quick one-pan dinner: Prepare about 2 cups of any combination of thinly sliced shiitakes, onions, carrots, and/or bell peppers. Add to the hot pan in Step 3; cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Proceed with the recipe, adding more vegetable oil as needed.
- RICE CAKES WITH STIR-FRIED GREENS Follow the variation above, substituting 1 pound greens like baby spinach, pea shoots, and/or sliced baby bok choy or Napa cabbage for the vegetables.
- CURRIED RICE CAKES Great served with Winter Squash with Soy (page 264): Omit the soy sauce and sugar in Step 2 and add 1 teaspoon curry powder and ¼ cup coconut milk.
- RICE CAKES WITH KIMCHI Omit the sesame oil, sugar, and chile paste. In Step 3, add 1 cup or more Kimchi (page 93) a minute or so after the rice cakes.
- BRAISED RICE CAKES The rice cakes thicken the liquid as they cook, creating a stick-to-your-ribs dish: Add 3 cups vegetable stock (pages 97 to 100), dashi (page 100), or water and up to 2 cups whatever thinly sliced vegetables you like and/or cubed tofu. Omit the sugar and vegetable oil. Put the stock in a pot and bring to a boil; add the remaining ingredients and cook at a steady bubble until the rice cakes are soft and the vegetables are cooked. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.
- RICE OR CELLOPHANE NOODLES WITH SWEET SOY SAUCE If you like, add vegetables as in the first variation: Substitute 8 to 12 ounces rice vermicelli, rice sticks,
- cellophane noodles for the rice cakes. Drain the noodles and immediately add them to the pan; you may need additional oil. Proceed with the recipe.
