Savory Eight-Treasure Rice Cake

This is a savory Buddhist version of the popular Eight-Treasure Glutinous Rice Cake (page 186), enjoyed at Chinese New Year. As with the latter, feel free to experiment with your favorite vegetables, nuts, and seeds, so long as the total number equals 8. If you can’t locate dried lotus seeds, substitute with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin or sunflower seeds and omit the first step of the recipe.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1⁄2 cup dried lotus seeds (about 2.5 ounces), soaked in cold water to cover 3 hours or overnight, drained

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

1⁄2 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1⁄2 cup chopped onion

6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water to cover 20 minutes, or until softened, rinsed, drained, stemmed, and chopped

1⁄2 cup chopped, rinsed, and drained canned water chestnuts

2 tablespoons slivered almonds 22⁄3 cups freshly cooked glutinous rice, slightly warm or at room temperature

2 1⁄2 cups freshly cooked long-grain white rice, slightly warm or at room temperature

1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed

3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped, plus 1 scallion, green parts only, thinly sliced

In a small saucepan, bring drained lotus seeds and enough water to cover to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer briskly for 15 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and drain; rinse under cold running water and drain again. Using your fingers, break each seed apart into two symmetrical halves, removing any green germ. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper; set aside.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, lotus seeds, and almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and mushrooms begin to release their liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add both types of rice, peas and carrots, and 3 chopped scallions and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Lightly oil a steam-proof 8-cup/2-quart bowl. Transfer the rice mixture to the oiled bowl, pressing down firmly with the back of a spoon. (At this point, mixture can be brought to room temperature and refrigerated, covered, up to 24 hours before continuing with the recipe.)

Place a steamer basket in a tall stockpot filled with about 2 inches of water. Place the bowl of rice in the steamer basket and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to medium, cover, and steam 20 minutes (add 5 minutes if refrigerated). Uncover and let cool a few minutes.

Carefully remove rice bowl from the steamer basket. Let stand 10 minutes to allow rice grains to harden slightly. Pass the tip of a dinner knife around the edge of the rice cake to loosen it. Invert onto a warmed, deep-welled serving platter. (The cake should slip out easily.) Garnish with the sliced scallion greens and serve at once, using a large spoon to divide into pie-like wedges among individual serving bowls.

{PER SERVING} Calories 227 • Protein 5g • Total Fat 5g • Sat Fat 1g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 40g • Dietary Fiber 2g • Sodium 435mg

hancheng

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