Duk Bokki (Rice Pinkies)

As you may already know, I love the chewy texture of rice cakes. Some time during high school, I was introduced to korean rice pinkies and I fell in love all over again. It's like rice cakes, but on steroids! I do have to admit that my jaw gets kinda tired after a few of these guys, but it's totally worth it.

I've only had it a few times, but I usually see this served with some ramen (mixed in the same sauce) and fish cake. But since I didn't have any fish cake in the house and figured I'd rather use my carb allotment on more rice pinkies instead of ramen, so I left those two ingredients out. I also usually see it served with sliced hard boiled eggs, but I thought I'd do a fried egg with a runny center instead.

I'm also submitting these rice pinkies to Joelen's Wine & Dine event featuring Korean food. Posts are accepted until April 18th, so get your entries in and check out the roundup!

Ingredients*:
- Rice pinkies
- Kimchi or napa cabbage (I used kimchi)
- Egg
- Korean chili paste
- Soy bean paste (optional)
- Water or chicken stock
- Soy sauce
- Sesame seeds and/or green onions for garnish (I skipped this)
* You can also easily add meat, more veggies, etc depending on your preferences

Directions:
- Heat some water or chicken stock in a wok/pan.
- Stir in a few tablespoons of the korean chili paste (to taste). If it's too spicy for you, replace some of it with the soy bean paste instead.
- If you're adding meat to the dish, do it now.
- Add the cabbage or kimchi and any other veggies you would like to use.
- Add the rice pinkies.
- Mix everything and let it simmer until the rice pinkies are soft, adding more liquid if necessary.
- Add soy or more chili paste/soy bean paste to taste.
- Top everything with a fried egg.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Chao Nian Gao (Stir fried rice cakes)

I love the chewy texture of rice cakes (sometimes called rice ovalettes). It's almost like a tough and savory gum that you're allowed to swallow. Haha, that just sounds super appetizing doesn't it? Hmm, let's see if I can describe it better. Oh, I can also add that it's pretty much flavorless, but you typically add it into savory dishes. I know that doesn't help, but trust me, this is good stuff!

There are many ways to make rice cakes. Some of my favorite include sticking it in a soup with dumplings for Korean duk mandu gook, or stir frying them. Even within stir frying, there are 2 typical ways: Shanghai style with dark soy, veggies, and thin strips of pork or a lighter version with mustard greens and bamboo and thin strips of pork. While I love both versions, I decided to make my own version and use it to help me get rid of some leftover turkey I had in the fridge. Just like fried rice and chow mein or any other stir fry, rice cakes are great for clearing out the fridge.

Here's the recipe for the Shanghai version, plus what I used as substitute ingredients because I needed to clean out my fridge.

Ingredients:
- Pork (sliced into thin strips) - I used shredded leftover turkey. Any other meat such as chicken or beef could be used as well.
- Napa cabbage (sliced into thin strips) - I also added some brocolli. You can add other veggies such as shredded carrots, regular cabbage, spinach etc if you'd like.
- Shitake mushrooms (sliced into thin strips) - I skipped this ingredient.
- Rice cakes/ovalettes
- Dark soy sauce - I used regular soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Corn starch - I skipped this since I was using already cooked turkey

Directions:
- Rinse the rice ovalettes in water to separate them. Some packages also require you to soak them, so read the directions on the back.
- Marinate the pork in a little bit of soy sauce and corn starch.
- Heat up your pan or wok and a bit of oil.
- Put the pork in the meat and stir it around until mostly cooked.
- Add the napa cabbage and cook until slightly wilted.
- Add the mushrooms.
- Add the rice cakes.
- Add the soy sauce and oyster sauce to taste.
- Stir everything until the rice cakes are soft. If it gets too dry and looks like things might burn before the rice cakes are done, add a bit of water or chicken stock.