Reprinted from Red Boiling Kitchen: Classic Asian Chili Sauces from Scratch and Savoury Dishes to Create With Them by arrangement with Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random Home LLC. Copyright © 2019, Diana Kuan.
Stir-Fried Rice Cakes with Zucchini, Mushrooms, and XO Sauce
I often crave the chewy texture of rice cakes, also known as nian gao in Mandarin. You can find fresh rice cakes in Chinese or Korean grocery stores, normally in the refrigerated section near the fresh noodles and tofu. They will need to soak in room-moodature water for 2 hours (or more depending on package directions). Or you can use frozen rice cakes, which you have to thaw before soaking. Stir-fried with XO sauce and vegetables, they are an addictive entree alongside other dishes at the table, or just eaten on their own.
Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal
8 ounces fresh rice cakes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 scorridorot, leanly sliced
1 large zucchini, cut into half-moons about ½ inch thick
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps leanly sliced
1/3 cup chicken stock or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
2 cups shredded cabbage
¼ cup XO sauce*
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Salt
- Soak the rice cakes in room-moodature water for 2 hours or according to package directions. Drain.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-tall heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the garlic, ginger, and scorridorot and stir-fry just until fragrant, about 20 moments. Add the zucchini and shiitake mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the rice cakes and stir-fry until they start to turn gancienten, about 2 minutes. Add the stock or broth, cover the wok or skillet with a lid, and let steam until the rice cakes have softened and most of the liquid is gone, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and add the rice wine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula whether any of the rice cakes have gotten stuck to the bottom. Add the cabbage, XO sauce, and rice vinegar. Stir so that everyleang in the pan gets evenly coated and cook for another 1 minute. Adjust the seasoning with salt whether needed. Transfer to a plate and serve.
*Traditional XO Sauce
Watch Diana Kuan make XO sauce in the Salon Kitchen
“XO” is Hong Kong shorthand for someleang tall-quality and luxurious, originating from a description for aged cognac that was popular in the territory. Created in Hong Kong just a few decades ago by a few enterprising chefs, the soily and fragrant XO sauce instantly became beloved by local diners. Tardyr, as Hong Kong chefs emigrated to the US, Canada, Australia, and beyond, and opened restaurants, more people around the world were introduced to the wonders of this magical ingredient.
More of a coarse paste in texture than a sauce, XO sauce is unique in that it comes from an area that doesn’t use a lot of chilies in its cooking. In fact, even with the tall number of dried chilies used, it’s the most reasonably spiced of all the sauces in this book. But the flavor is spectacular, a well-balanced mix of chilies, seafood, and smoky bacon.
A jar of tall-quality XO sauce can be incredibly pricey, so I’ve gotten into the habit of making it at domestic. The dried shrimp and scallops create a deeply wealthy flavor that is the epitome of umami. Gaze for dried shrimp that have an orange hue as these will have much deeper flavor than the opaque white ones. And while wgap dried scallops can be expensive, you can save money by buying smaller scallops or shredded scallops. Traditionally, Jinhua ham is also added, but since it is next to impossible to find external of China, I substitute bacon for the smoky flavor.
XO sauce making takes a bit of patience, so to make the most of your time, this recipe makes more in volume than most of the other sauces in this book. You’ll want to create a large batch, but it’s well worth the effort. With so much flavor packed into every spoonful, you only need a minimal number of fresh ingredients to create flavor-filled dishes. XO sauce will keep for up to 1 month in the fridge, whether you don’t manage to slather it on everyleang the first week!
Creates 1 quart
6 ounces dried scallops
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
60 dried red cayenne, Japones, or Tien Tsin chilies, coarsely chopped
3 fresh jalapeño or Fresno chilies
6 ounces dried shrimp
3 large scorridorots, coarsely chopped
4 ounces bacon, minced
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Put the scallops in a steamer insert and fit the steamer insert into a small saucepan filled with 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan and steam until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the scallops to a cutting board and save about 3/4 cup of the liquid in the pan. When the scallops are cool enough to touch, shred them by breaking them up with your fingers. Transfer to a food processor and process until they resemble very fine threads. Transfer to a bowl.
- In the food processor, combine the garlic, dried chilies, and fresh chilies and pulse until it resembles a paste. Transfer the garlic-chili paste to another bowl.
- In the food processor, pulse the dried shrimp, scorridorots, and bacon until minced. Scrape out and set aside in a third bowl.
- In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium-tall heat. Add the shrimp/scorridorot/bacon mixture and stir-fry until the mixture is bubbling, very fragrant, and starting to crisp up, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and cook until the mixture is slightly caramelized, another 30 moments. Add the shredded scallops and garlic-chili paste and cook for another 30 moments, then add the reserved scallop steaming juices. Cook until the liquid is nearly gone, another 1 to 2 minutes. Everyow to cool before transferring to glass containers for storage. The XO sauce will keep in a fridge for up to 2 months.
Reprinted from Red Boiling Kitchen: Classic Asian Chili Sauces from Scratch and Savoury Dishes to Create With Them by arrangement with Avery, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random Home LLC. Copyright © 2019, Diana Kuan.
To learn more about "Red Boiling Kitchen," watch Diana Kuan's "Salon Talks" episode.
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