Shanghai rice cakes made with a sweet and savory sauce cooked with shiitake mushrooms, ground pork, bok choy, and cabbage makes a delicious easy meal everyone will love! It’s simple to make and takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
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What are Rice Cakes?
Asian rice cakes are made from rice and tapioca. They’re shaped into cylinders and sliced into flat oval shapes. They are used in a variety of different ways but stir fries are a popular method for serving.
Shanghai stir-fried rice cakes have a sweeter flavor due to the addition of hoisin sauce. Unlike the Korean stir-fried rice cakes recipe called tteokbokki, this Shanghai-style rice cake recipe is less spicy, sweeter, and has less sauce.
In many rice cake recipes, thin slices of pork are cooked with the Chinese rice cakes, but in my version we’re using ground pork! I’m not going to say this is traditional Shanghai stir fried rice cakes, but it tastes very similar to the rice cake dish I had in Shanghai, China (when I was studying abroad)!
Why You Will Love This Shanghai Rice Cake Recipe
- Quick Meal. This dish goes together quickly — taking less than 30 minutes to make!
- Great Flavors. This dish has it all! The chewy rice cakes and mushrooms are the perfect pair for the crisp cabbage and the sweet and salty sauce is savory and so good!
- Takeout at Home. Enjoy this tasty takeout from your own home. Made with a tasty sauce it’s so good.
Ingredients
- Rice Cakes: My preference is to use Korean rice cakes. You need to get the sliced version instead of the long stick version. I got mine at H-mart, a Korean grocery store but you can find them at most asian grocery stores or you can buy them online from Amazon.
- Avocado oil: We will be using this for cooking the vegetables and stir frying the rice cakes. You can also use another neutral-flavored oil you prefer.
- Minced Pork: A quick and easy meaty addition! You can also use ground turkey or leftover sliced pork if you prefer.
- Bok Choy: This Chinese leafy green has a crunchy texture works perfectly with the chewiness of the rice cake. You can also use spinach, yu cai, choy sum or pea shoots!
- Cabbage: Fresh cabbage is added to boost the veggies in the dish.
- Shiitake: A flavorful mushroom with a bold flavor that’s earthy and savory with a great chewy texture that works well with the rice cakes.
- Aromatics: The dish gets its first layer of flavor from fresh garlic, fresh ginger, and white onion. Do not substitute with garlic or ginger powder as the flavor will not be the same.
- Oyster Sauce: If you want to a vegetarian version be sure to use a vegan oyster sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Adds savory flavors to the sauce balancing the sweetness. The dark soy sauce is used to add a more caramel brown color to the dish.
- Sugar: Enhances the sweet flavors.
- Sesame Oil: Add this at the end for flavor. When you add this in the beginning the flavor is more muted and cooked down.
How to Cook Rice Cakes
Before you make the stir fry you must first prepare the rice cakes.
Step 1: Prepare the rice cakes according to the package directions. My instructions begins with soaking them in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain the water. If the rice cakes are sticking together make sure to separate them.
Step 2. While the rice cakes are soaking, chop your bok choy into pieces, slice the cabbage, and mushrooms. Mince onions, garlic and ginger.
How to Make Stir Fried Rice Cakes
Step 1: Heat avocado oil in a pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic followed by the onions and saute for a minute.
Step 2: Next, add your minced pork and a teaspoon of salt and separate the clumps of meat. Cook for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add all the sauces: oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, water, sugar and white pepper in the pan.
Step 4: Mix together and then, add your rice cakes. Cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to stir often so the rice cakes don’t get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Add the cabbage, sliced mushrooms, and bok choy. Cook for 3-4 minutes covered until vegetables are tender and cooked.
Step 6: Mix together and make sure rice cakes are not sticking to the pan. Finish off with the sesame oil.
Expert Tips
- Keep the Bok Choy. It provides a crunchy texture that complements the chewiness of the rice cake very well so I highly recommend not skipping it.
- Don’t Over Cook the Vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes. The cabbage should still be crunchy. Remember they will cook a bit more when added to the stir fry.
- Drain the Cakes. Make sure all the excess water is drained off. If you end up with excess water in the pan it will dilute the flavor of the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, quite easily. Replace the pork with your favorite meatless crumbles or simply leave them out and enjoy your rice cakes with the vegetables.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. I do not recommend freezing it. For best results quickly reheat the rice cake stir fry in a skillet or wok with a bit of oil until heated through. You can also use the microwave to reheat it.
I love to enjoy Asian rice cakes with dumplings or noodles. You can try your fried rice cake recipe with your favorite vegetarian dumplings or try these shrimp dumplings or pork dumplings if you don’t need the entire meal vegetarian. This hot and sour soup is silky and smooth and filled with tofu, mushrooms, and soft eggs makes a great way to start the meal. To boost the protein or heartiness of your meal try this mapo tofu recipe from my uncle using our sichuan chili oil!
More Asian-Style Dinner Recipes
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Shanghai Rice Cakes
Ingredients
soak rice cakes in water
- 2 cups rice cakes
Saute
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil 1 tbs for vegetables and 1 tbs for rice cakes
- ½ pound ground pork
- 4-5 branches boy choy chopped
- ¼ cabbage sliced
- 5 shiitake mushrooms sliced (same size as rice cakes)
- ¼ white onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon salt add to onion, cabbage, choy sum
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- soaked rice cakes
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil to finish
Instructions
- Prepare the rice cakes according to the package directions. My instructions begins with soaking them in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain the water. If the rice cakes are sticking together, make sure to separate them.
- While the rice cakes are soaking, chop your bok choy into pieces, slice the cabbage, and mushrooms. Mince onions, garlic and ginger.
- Heat avocado oil in a pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic followed by the onions and saute for a minute.
- Next, add your minced pork and a teaspoon of salt and separate the clumps of meat. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add all the sauces: oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, water, sugar and white pepper in the pan.
- Mix together and then, add your rice cakes. Cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to stir often so the rice cakes don't get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cabbage, sliced mushrooms, and bok choy. Cook for 3-4 minutes covered until vegetables are tender and cooked.
- Mix together and make sure rice cakes are not sticking to the pan. Finish off with the sesame oil.
Notes
- Keep the Bok Choy. It provides a crunchy texture that complements the chewiness of the rice cake very well so I highly recommend not skipping it.
- Don’t Over Cook the Vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes. The cabbage should still be crunchy. Remember they will cook a bit more when added to the stir fry.
- Drain the Cakes. Make sure all the excess water is drained off. If you end up with excess water in the pan it will dilute the flavor of the sauce.
Evelyn Qin says
Any suggestions on how to make this vegetarian but still have great flavors like the original recipe? Thanks!
Dana says
Hi Evelyn, yes you can! Replace the pork with your favorite meatless crumbles or simply leave them out and enjoy your rice cakes with the vegetables. You can also substitute the oyster sauce with a vegetarian one too.