Shanghai Nian Gao - Hokkien Style

Before I start my posting, just wanna wish my daddy, hubby and the rest of the fathers/grandfathers/great-grandfathers/Godfathers, a very belated Happy Father's Day!!! No heart wrenching post from me yesterday haha... very tired and no mood cos my boiboi is having the flu/cough/fever package with lots of thick phelgm but he's better today.

In fact he got better yesterday evening after we took him to take his pick of donut at Big Apple Donut! Earlier he said he don't want to eat anything, not even when we entice him with donuts and we just left him as it is. Not until when his daddy decided to grab some donuts, that fler went and picked his own choice and little did I knew he picked peanut butter, his fave. It's great that he knew how to read and understand some words now. I don't need to tell him which is which! As he was munching his donut, I asked him if it's nice, he shook his head. In between his chokeful of donut he mumbled "Dunkin' Donut is nicer". That says a lot huh?


**Non-Halal Posting from here onwards hehe**

Anyways, back to regular posting, lemme do a quickie one today.

I bought a pack of Shanghai Nian Gao (white rice cake). In Cantonese sometimes it's known as pak kor meen (gingko nut noodle) which I think its because of the shape of the rice cake.



You can't cook these rice cakes straight from the packet (pic on the left). To prepare, soak the rice cakes in water overnight or like what I did, soak in hot water for about 4-5 hours, changing the cooled down water with hot water twice. Next, blanched them in boiling water with a few drops of oil till soften or al dente or to the texture you favour. Drain off the water and cook them accordingly as seen on the pic on the right.

I've cooked my Shanghai Nian Gao in Hokkien noodle style. Easy peasy...

Fry some sliced pork (can use chicken) in hot oil till 3/4 cook. Didn't managed to go market to grab some prawns, hence omitted. Next, stir in loads of chopped garlic. Once the meat is cooked, pour in some water. Add in oyster sauce and thick soy sauce to taste. Once the water come to a boil, place in the cooked rice cakes. Stir to prevent them from sticking to each other. Ensure the water is enough to cover the rice cakes. Cover with lid and let them simmer in low heat. Test the rice cakes to decide if they have cooked to the texture you prefer. I liked mine slightly on the chewy side.

Adjust the seasoning, adding more thick soy sauce if they're not dark enough. More oyster sauce if not saltly and a little bit of sugar to bring out the taste. Stir in some choy sum and carrots. Cover again and let it cook till the gravy is drier. Dish up and serve hot when the vegetables are cooked through.



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