Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe: Stir-Fried Rice Cakes with Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms
Rice cakes are widely used in Chinese cuisine to make a great variety of dishes. This Din Tai Fung style recipe incorporates some fresh flavors with dense rice cakes and elevates the visual appearance of the rice cakes. The dish is on the light side in terms of spices and seasonings.
Let’s make this Din Tai Fung rice cake recipe, just the way my grandmother used to do. Unlike the use of cabbage and spinach, she used winter bamboo shoots and Shepherd’s purse. This gives the dish a better texture and flavor. Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe Overview
This dish is often associated with celebrations. Check the quick overview below to know the preparation time, cooking time, and other key factors.
| Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 25 minutes | |||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories |
| 1 person | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 456 kcal |
Ingredients Needed for Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe
As I am following the traditional recipe, the ingredients will be a bit different from what you see in Din Tai Fung restaurants. Here is the complete list of ingredients.
- Rice Cake: 100g
- Shepherd’s Purse: 200g
- Winter Bamboo Shoots: 1 pc
- Mushrooms: 2 pcs
- Cooking Oil: 2 tbsp
- Salt: 1 tsp
Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
All the ingredients used for the recipe should be fresh to make it more fragrant and flavorful. Follow the detailed steps below to get the taste right.
Step 1: Prepare the Bamboo Shoots and Mushrooms
Clean the bamboo shoots and mushrooms properly. Then, slice the bamboo shoots thinly, almost like you slice ginger. Otherwise, the bamboo shoots might take longer to be cooked. Slice mushrooms a bit thicker than the bamboo shoots.
Step 2: Boil Bamboo Shoots, Rice Cakes, and Mushrooms
Boil water in a wok and add some salt to it. Put the bamboo shoots into the boiling water first. Then, put the rice cakes as well. Cook them for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms.
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As mushrooms are cooked very quickly, check if the rice cakes are soft after two minutes. If so, strain the bamboo shoots, rice cakes, and mushrooms.
Step 3: Blanch the Shepherd’s Purse
In the same water, put the Shepherd’s purse. Blanch them in boiling water for about one minute. Then, strain them quickly and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. It will stop the cooking process and preserve their color.
Step 4: Chop the Shepherd’s Purse
Once they are cooled, wring them lightly to remove the water. Then, chop the Shepherd’s purse nicely.
Step 5: Fry the Ingredients
Heat up a pan and add about 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the pan. Once the oil gets hot, put the boiled rice cakes, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms into the pan. Stir-fry the ingredients until they lightly change color.
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At this point, you should add 1 tsp of salt. If the ingredients tend to dry out, add a few splashes of water. Finally, put the Shepherd’s purse and mix everything. After about one minute, the rice cakes will be ready.
Step 6: Plate and Serve
Transfer the Din Tai Fung rice cake to a serving dish and garnish with your preferred ingredients. I recommend serving this with meat dishes.
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Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Clean the bamboo shoots and mushrooms properly. Then, slice the bamboo shoots thinly, almost like you slice ginger. Otherwise, the bamboo shoots might take longer to be cooked. Slice mushrooms a bit thicker than the bamboo shoots.
- Boil water in a wok and add some salt to it. Put the bamboo shoots into the boiling water first. Then, put the rice cakes as well. Cook them for a few minutes before adding the mushrooms.
- As mushrooms are cooked very quickly, check if the rice cakes are soft after two minutes. If so, strain the bamboo shoots, rice cakes, and mushrooms.
- In the same water, put the Shepherd’s purse. Blanch them in boiling water for about one minute. Then, strain them quickly and transfer them to a bowl of cold water. It will stop the cooking process and preserve their color.
- Once they are cooled, wring them lightly to remove the water. Then, chop the Shepherd’s purse nicely.
- Heat up a pan and add about 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the pan. Once the oil gets hot, put the boiled rice cakes, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms into the pan. Stir-fry the ingredients until they lightly change color.
- At this point, you should add 1 tsp of salt. If the ingredients tend to dry out, add a few splashes of water. Finally, put the Shepherd’s purse and mix everything. After about one minute, the rice cakes will be ready.
- Transfer the Din Tai Fung rice cake to a serving dish and garnish with your preferred ingredients. I recommend serving this with meat dishes.
Nutrition Facts of Din Tai Fung Rice Cake Recipe
Using mushrooms, bamboo shoots, etc., increases the nutritional value of this dish. I compiled a rough estimate of nutrients present in the Din Tai Fung rice cake recipe below.
- Total Carbohydrates: 42.6g
- Protein: 15.6g
- Total Fat: 24.2g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.7g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 13.9g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 1.6g
- Total Sugar: 1.4g
- Cholesterol: 44.4mg
- Sodium: 817.6mg
- Potassium: 483.5mg
- Calcium: 80.3mg
- Iron: 1.2mg
- Magnesium: 25.5mg
- Zinc: 2.2mg
- Vitamin A: 116.7IU
- Vitamin B6: 0.3mg
- Vitamin C: 37.5mg
- Vitamin D: 52.1IU
FAQs
Get the answer to the most commonly asked questions about Din Tai Fun rice cakes below.
How should the rice cakes be prepared before incorporating them into the recipe?
Rice cakes usually come in long, cylindrical pieces and don’t require any chopping. You just need to boil them in water for a few minutes before incorporating them into the recipe.
What type of sauce or seasoning is used in the recipe?
This recipe uses no sauce or special seasoning. You just need to use salt to season the rice cakes, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. Don’t overpower the flavor of the ingredients by using a lot of different seasonings or sauces.
Can I use frozen rice cakes for this recipe?
Of course. But the problem with frozen rice cakes is they need a long time to rehydrate. You must soak frozen rice cakes in warm water for a few hours before cooking them. Even if you want to boil them, it will take about 20-30 minutes to rehydrate them.
Is a cold bath necessary for Shepherd’s purse?
Yes. The Shepherd’s purse will turn into mush if you don’t give them a cold bath. So, the dish will have a different texture.
Conclusion
Din Tai Fung rice cakes are one of my favorite rice cake recipes, especially in the festive season. They are so lightly spiced that anyone can finish one bowl of rice cakes easily. The fragrance of fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms revives your tastebuds. Soft rice cakes are also lovely to devour.
The best thing about this dish in my opinion is the simplicity of the cooking process. You need to use the most basic cooking techniques, boiling and frying, to make this fantastic Din Tai Fung rice cake recipe. No crowd of ingredients, no mess with the sauces, yet a delicious dish full of aroma and flavors.
