Korean Flat Rice Cake Recipe

stir fried Asian rice cakes

Stir fried Shanghai rice cakes with shiitake mushrooms & cabbage in a delicious, savory Asian soy based sauce, also known as Chao Nian Gao. Inspired by Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes!

Stir Fried Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms and chicken in a white bowl, chao nian gao

These stir fried Shanghai rice cakes are a favorite Asian comfort food I grew up eating as a kid. If you've never had stir fried rice cakes, they're wonderfully soft but chewy and are great at absorbing sauces when they're stir fried.

This recipe is also inspired by Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes, one of my favorite dishes to order whenever I go to Din Tai Fung, a popular restaurant here in Seattle.

Stir Fried Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes, chao nian gao, with mushrooms and chicken in a white bowl

Chao Nian Gao - Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes for Chinese New Year

Chao Nian Gao or stir fried Shanghai rice cakes are typically eaten during the Chinese New Year because it's considered to bring good luck and fortune for the new year. Nian Gao is pronounced similarly to "higher year," which symbolizes raising or elevating oneself for the coming year.

How to Soften and Cook Dried Rice Cakes?

Depending on how your rice cakes came packaged, you may have to soften the Asian rice cakes by soaking them in water before adding them to any recipe. If you bought fresh rice cakes, they will be very soft to the touch and chewy. You don't need to rehydrate fresh rice cakes.

After softening and soaking the dried rice cakes, you can cook them in a stir fry like this recipe, or you can boil them in a soup, or even grill or bake them.

Rehydrating & Soaking Asian Rice Cakes

If your rice cakes came packaged in a vacuum packed bag, most likely they need to be soaked and softened. Open the bag and feel the rice cakes. If they're completely dried out and hard, you'll need to soak the rice cakes in water for at least 3 hours to overnight in the fridge to soften them. Otherwise, the rice cakes will remain hard even after cooking and you won't get the same texture as the Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes.

Stir Fried Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms and chicken in a white bowl with red chopsticks

How to Make Din Tai Fung Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes - Chao Nian Gao

Ingredients for Din Tai Fung Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes

The ingredients for these stir fried rice cakes are fairly simple and go well with any veggies you have around the house. For this recipe, I used shiitake mushrooms, napa cabbage, and chicken breast. See notes below on other vegetables that go well with this recipe.

Before starting, be sure to rehydrate the rice cakes in a bowl of water if they came dried and vacuum packed. Do this ahead of time the night before in the fridge or at least 3 hours before stir frying.

rice cake slices soaking in a bowl of water

sliced mushrooms, scallions, and cabbage in bowls

Heat a wok over high heat and cook the thinly sliced chicken breast. Once the chicken is almost cooked through, add in the shiitake mushrooms and scallions. Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes don't have mushrooms but I added them in because that's how my mom used to make this dish for me and the mushrooms add a lot of flavor.

If you're looking for an exact copycat of Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes, skip the mushrooms and chop your chicken into smaller pieces.

mushrooms, scallions, and chicken stir fried in a wok

Next, add in the pre-soaked sliced rice cakes and the sauce. Mix this all together for a few minutes until the rice cakes start to soften.

chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and scallions stir fried in a wok

stir fried rice cakes with mushrooms, chicken, and scallions in a wok

Add the sliced napa cabbage in last so they stay crunchy. Stir fry them together for a few minutes and taste one rice cake. The rice cake should be soft yet chewy. If it's still hard, you can add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water and continue to stir fry everything together for 1 to 2 more minutes.

Stir fried shanghai rice cakes, chao nian gao, with mushrooms and cabbage in a wok

Variations on Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes

Stir fried rice cakes is pretty versatile and go great with any type of protein and vegetables.

Protein: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp

Vegetarian Protein: fried tofu, seitan, tempeh

Vegetables: broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, celery, onions, snow peas

Stir fried Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms, Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes

Storing Leftovers & Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Chao Nian Gao can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. Store them in an airtight freezer safe container for up to 1 month.
Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or until the rice cakes become soft and chewy. The rice cakes harden in the fridge so I recommend mixing the rice cakes halfway through to make sure they reheat evenly.

Stir Fried Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms in a white bowl, Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes, chao nian gao

I hope you enjoy these Din Tai Fung inspired stir fried Shanghai rice cakes!

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Want more? Check out these other recipes!

asian cucumber salad, din tai fung cucumber salad copycat — Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad - Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad Copycat

Chinese style dry fried garlic green beans, Din Tai Fung green beans — Crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad - Din Tai Fung Cucumber Salad Copycat

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Stir Fried Shanghai rice cakes with mushrooms in a white bowl, Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes, chao nian gao

Stir Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes

Stir fried Shanghai rice cakes with shiitake mushrooms & cabbage in a delicious, savory Asian soy based sauce, also known as Chao Nian Gao. Inspired by Din Tai Fung Shanghai rice cakes!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese

▢ 16 oz rice cakes - pre-soak if using dried rice cakes
▢ 1 lb chicken breast - thinly sliced, about ⅓ inch thick
▢ 3 Tablespoons avocado oil
▢ 5 large shiitake mushrooms - sliced about ⅓ inch thick with stems removed
▢ 4 cups napa cabbage - chopped into 2 inch pieces
▢ 3 scallions - chopped into 2 inch pieces

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If using dried rice cakes, pre-soak them in water for about 3 hours or overnight in the fridge. After 30 minutes, carefully separate the rice cakes so they're not stuck together.
Add the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix it together until the sugar dissolves.
Heat a wok or large pan on high heat and add the avocado oil. Once the pan is hot, lay the chicken pieces flat on the surface and let it cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it's almost cooked through.
Next, add the mushrooms and scallions to the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add in the drained rice cakes and add 4 Tablespoons of the sauce. Stir fry the rice cakes together for 2 - 3 minutes and then add in the chopped cabbage. If needed, add in the rest of the sauce and stir fry everything together for another 2 - 3 minutes or until the rice cakes are soft and chewy and the cabbage has wilted. Taste a rice cake to be sure it's fully softened. Add 1 Tablespoon of water if needed to further soften it up while stir frying. Serve immediately.

If your rice cakes come frozen or vacuum packed, check if they need to be soaked in water before cooking. If they are hard, rigid, and feel dry, they need to be soaked in water for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
If the rice cakes are still hard after stir frying, add 2 Tablespoons of water to the pan and continue to stir fry.
For vegetarians, replace the chicken with fried tofu, seitan, or other vegetables and use vegetarian oyster sauce instead.

Let us know how it was and give it a 5 star rating! Tag @drivemehungry to show off your creations! I love seeing your photos!

*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.