These stir-fried rice cakes are full of flavor and texture and so satisfyingly delicious! Tender beef, chewy rice cakes, and a mixture of vegetables all tossed together in a savory sauce make this a great meal that comes together quickly and easily all in one pan. It's a great weeknight meal!
Add marinade to beef slices and stir well to combine. Marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours; overnight is best.
Soak rice cakes in water for at least 30 minutes; drain.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of a neutral flavored oil.
Add onions and carrots and stir-fry, about one minute.
Add sliced garlic and cook one minute until fragrant.
Add napa cabbage and stir-fry with other ingredients for another minute.
Remove beef slices from marinade and add to the pan.
When beef is cooked halfway, add the sauce (not the sesame oil yet) and stir to combine and cook about one minute.
Add the rice cakes and mix with all the ingredients.
Bring the sauce to a boil and cook about 4-5 minutes until rice cakes have softened and sauce has thickened and reduced slightly, making sure to stir often so the rice cakes do not stick to the pan as they cook.
Add the sesame oil about a minute before serving. Transfer everything to a serving dish or serve straight from the pan
Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with kimchi and gochujang.
Notes
Use cylinder shaped rice cakes for this recipe.
Substitute mirin with white wine.
Gluten-free substitutions for soy sauce are tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid aminos.
Other vegetable options are shiitake mushrooms, Asian leafy greens, and spinach.
It does not take long for the rice cakes to cook through and start to soften, so remove the pan from the heat as soon as they are done.
It is important to keep stirring/tossing the ingredients in the pan once you add the rice cakes so that they cook evenly and don't start to stick to the bottom of the pan or wok.
Store leftovers in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave. Rice cakes will not be as saucy as when you first make them, but they will still be good.