Chinese Rice Cake Soup

CHINESE RICE CAKE SOUP

There is nothing better than this Chinese rice cake soup (or niánggo tng) in terms of taste and comfort!

There is a lot of interest in rice cake soup in Korea. Nearly all of the results for “rice cake soup” on Google are for tteokguk, a traditional Korean dish.

I’m here to show you how the Chinese create rice cake soup—specifically in Ningbo, a city known for its wonderful rice cake soup.

In what way are rice cakes different from other types of cakes?

In the meantime, what are rice cakes? Chinese rice cakes, known as niángo (), come in various shapes and sizes. Rice flour or sticky rice flour can be used to make them, and they can be molded into various shapes. They can be sweetened and served as a dessert, or used as a flavoring ingredient in savory meals.

In Chinese, the phrase “niángo” (), which means “year” and “cake,” is used to refer to rice cakes during the Lunar New Year. Another homonym for Go is “,” which translates as “height” or “tall.” As a result, the significance of eating rice cakes is rising with each new year.

INGREDIENTS

MEAT & MARINADE:

• 8 oz. of lean pork or chicken(cut into small, thin strips)
• 2 tsp. of Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp. of light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. of sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. of white pepper
• 2 tsp. of cornstarch
• 1 tsp. of water

TO ASSEMBLE THE SOUP:

• 4 tbsp. of vegetable oil(divided)
• 4 slices of ginger (julienned)
• 3 scallions (thinly sliced on an angle, white and green parts separated)
• 1 small carrot (thinly sliced)
• 1 1/4 lb. of napa cabbage (stems cut into ½-inch pieces and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 4 cups of low sodium chicken stock
• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 tsp. of white pepper
• 1 tsp. of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. of light soy sauce
• 1 lb. of rice cakes (oval-shaped slices preferred)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, cornstarch, and water are good additions to the pork (or chicken). Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving, then serve.
2. Take a wok and heat it until it begins to smoke. Stir-fry the pork until it is well-browned in 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Pork is done cooking, so remove it and set it aside.
3. Toss in 2 additional tablespoons of oil, the ginger, and the white sections of the scallions, and lower the heat to medium. Cook the carrots for 1 minute, after which they should be added. Add the napa cabbage after another minute of cooking. The napa cabbage leaves should be wilted after a few minutes of cooking.
4. Pour in 4 cups of water and 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock. Cook for 5 minutes until the thick stems of napa cabbage is soft, then remove from heat.
5. Adding salt and pepper to taste, some sesame oil, and a tablespoon of light soy sauce can all be done at this point.
6. Add the cooked pork and rice cakes to the soup, and garnish with the scallion greens, if desired. When cooking rice cakes, they should be placed on top of the soup, so they don’t fall into the pot and stick to it. Cook for an additional minute or until the rice cakes are tender (please see the Recipe Notes if you are using dried rice cakes). Salt once more and serve.