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Chinese BBQ sticky rice cake - A fun way to enjoy leftover BBQ! The green cake is made with kale, creating a refreshing flavor that goes well with the savory filling. | omnivorescookbook.com

Chinese BBQ Sticky Rice Cake

5 from 8 votes
I blended kale into the rice cake to make a green bun for this recipe. If you don’t want to use kale in the dough, please refer to the normal rice dough in this recipe.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 12
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup chopped Chinese BBQ pork or chicken I have a grilled Chinese BBQ recipe here and a baked char siu recipe
  • 1 cup chopped kale yield from two kale leaves
  • 2 tablespoons and 1/4 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup 125 grams glutinous rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Optional 1 tablespoon sesame seeds to garnish
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Instructions

  • Chop Chinese BBQ meat into small pieces. The smaller you chop it, the easier it will be to wrap the cakes later.
  • Chop kale into bite sized pieces. Add kale and 1/4 teaspoon olive oil into a food processor. Blend until the kale turns to tiny bits.
  • Add glutinous rice flour into a big bowl. Add salt and mix well.
  • Transfer the kale to the rice flour bowl. Mix well.
  • Prepare 1/2 cup water. Slowly blend water into flour, mixing with a pair of chopsticks. Keep adding water until small chunks of dough forms and there is no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. You might need slightly more or less water (*see footnote 1).
  • Start to knead the dough by hand, until the texture becomes consistent.
  • Transfer the dough to a working surface (or cutting board). Knead the dough a few more times and shape the dough into round shape.
  • Divide the dough in half.
  • Shape each piece of dough into a long stick, and further divide into 6 pieces. Work on the dough pieces one at a time.
  • Shape each small dough into a ball with both hands.
  • Gently press the dough into a flat, round disk.
  • Add about 1 tablespoon of BBQ meat into the center of the flat dough.
  • Use both hands to gather the edges of the dough to seal the filling inside. Gently press the dough ball to shape it into a flat, round cake (Footnote 2).
  • (Optional) Spread a pinch of sesame seeds on top of the cake to garnish.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat until warm. Place the rice cakes in the skillet without overlapping them (you might need to cook the cakes in two batches). Cook until the bottom side turns golden, about 2 minutes. Flip to cook the other side, until the dough is fully cooked and turns semi-translucent, about 2 minutes. If the bottom side has already turned golden but the dough is still a bit raw, cover the skillet and cook over low heat for 1 or 2 minutes.
  • Transfer the sticky rice cakes to a plate to cool for a few minutes.
  • Serve warm with soy sauce. Dip the rice cake in soy sauce when eating.

Notes

(1) Unlike wheat flour, glutinous flour is very easy to mix and it won’t be a big problem if the dough is a bit wet. It may stick to your hands a bit, but won’t make a mess. I personally prefer to make the dough a bit wet, so it will be easier to shape later. Plus, a wet dough will dry out a bit after being cut into smaller sized pieces later.
(2) The filling will tear the dough apart if you squeeze too hard. However, even if the filling leaks a bit, it won’t cause a problem, since the sticky rice holds its shape pretty well.