Root Vegetables and Rice Cake Stew Recipe

味噌麵豉年糕鍋

Fermentation is nature’s way of blessing our food. Your favourite wine and cheese would not exist without it. Imagine that! Fermented soy beans is a cooking staple in many Asian cuisines. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll refer to the Chinese versions as simply soy bean paste and the Japanese version as Miso paste even though there are countless varieties and they are both soy products just fermented differently. These pastes add richness and complexity to numerous dishes through their high umami content and they also hold many health benefits.

The depth of flavor created when these two fermented pastes intermingle in this hearty root vegetable and rice cake stew will satisfy any meat lover’s appetite (although you can add some meat if you wish). This one-pot meal is not only tasty and comforting, but is also simple and healthy. What more can one ask for?

There are numerous types of Miso pastes and soy bean pastes available in Asian supermarkets. In general, the darker the Miso paste, the deeper and saltier the flavor but any Miso paste (without added dashi) will work here. As for Chinese soy bean pastes, there are many kinds and can be translated differently in English so the photo shows how it is written in Chinese. In English, this is called Ground Bean Sauce but might also be called Ground Bean Paste, Soy Bean Paste, etc. This type contains soy bean, salt, sugar, wheat flour, sesame oil, and spices and is sweeter and more fragrant than Miso. Be careful not to get it confused with black bean paste. That’s for another day.

Ingredients
1 small daikon radish, peeled, cut into chunks
2-3 segments of lotus root, peeled, cut into chunks
1 bunch flowering garlic chive, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 package bamboo shoots in water, cut into chunks
1/2 lb sliced rice cakes
6 whole cloves of garlic
2 tbs Japanese Miso paste
2 tbs Chinese Ground Bean Sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 cup cooking Sake
2 cup water
spring onions for garnish

Directions

Add Miso , Ground Bean Sauce, sugar, Sake, water, lotus root, and garlic into a large pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes.

Add daikon and simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add bamboo shoots and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep the stew juicy.

Add garlic chives and rice cakes. Stir and cook for 3 minutes or until rice cakes are tender but still retain some chewiness.

Adjust seasoning. Garnish with green onions and serve in bowls as is or over steamed rice. Add chili paste if desired.

Serves 4

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