Chewy rice cakes with tender, fragrant naengi (shepherd’s purse) greens.

Naengi Tteok Bokkeum - Stir Fried Shepherd’s Purse and Rice Cakes

Serves 4 - 5

Naengi or Shepherd’s Purse in English is one of the quintessential greens of spring here in Korea. This, however, is not a traditional Korean dish rather a Chinese dish that I have adapted. The stir fry is based on this The Woks of Life (recipe here). I made it for the first time four years ago. Claude and I loved how the chewy rice cakes and gentle seasoning amplified the fragrant, mildly flavored, fresh green.

I’ve wanted to recreate this dish for years but, I couldn’t find the shepherd’s purse. In the States, naengi is easily found frozen in well-stocked Asian supermarkets year-round. I wasnt’ having the same luck here in Korea, at least not where I live. After some searching, I soon learned that it is a seasonal green available only early in the spring. I quickly added the Korean name (naengi) to my slowly growing mental Korean dictionary so that as soon as it hit markets, I would easily be able to find it. Two weeks ago I found beautiful fresh naengi at the supermarket and I made plans to make this immediately. It was amazing! I served my this with a spicy pork stir fry and kongnamul muchim.

Ingredients

15g (4 medium) dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

150ml (0.75 c) boiling water 

Broth

1 T mirin

1 T yondu or soy sauce

Stir fry

2 T vegetable oil

150g (1/2 large) onion, sliced thinly with the grain and then in half horizontally

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 t oyster sauce

300g (a little less than 0.75 lb) naengi (shepherd’s purse), finely chopped

2 t sesame oil

0.75 t kosher salt

0.25 t ground white pepper

0.25 t ground black pepper

1/8 t ground sancho or Sichuan pepper

Pinch of MSG – optional

700g (about 1.5 lbs) sliced rice cakes

Recipe Know-how

1.      In a medium heat-proof bowl, pour the water over the mushrooms and cover.

• Soak mushrooms for 1 – 1.5 hours or until fully hydrated and tender.

• Squeeze out the mushrooms and reserve the liquid.

• Thinly slice the mushrooms and set aside.

2.      Combine the mushrooms soaking liquid with the broth ingredients and set aside.

3.      Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high.

• Add the oil and heat until hot.

• Add the onion, garlic and mushrooms.

• Saute for 3 – 4 minutes or until tender and the mushrooms begin to crisp slightly.

• Add the oyster sauce and cook for 45 seconds.

• Add the naengi, sesame oil and seasonings.

• Cook for 90 seconds stirring frequently.

• Spread the rice cakes on top of the vegetables in a single layer.

DO NOT stir the rice cakes into the vegetables!!!

As they warm, the rice cakes may stick to the pan. To avoid this, be sure not to stir the rice cakes into the vegetables here.

• Pour over the reserved broth and cover the pan.

DO NOT stir the rice cakes yet.

• Steam for 3 minutes without stirring.

• Test 3 - 4 rice cakes across the pan to ensure they are tender.

If they are not tender, steam for 45 – 60 seconds longer.

• Stir the rice cakes through the naengi underneath.

• Cook 30 - 45 seconds longer stirring frequently until the liquid has all evaporated.

• Taste for seasoning adjusting as desired.

4.      Serve immediately.