Fried Nian Gao

This one was a bit of a learning experience. The instructions (found in the Wok This Way thread on Something Awful) were a little vague and I made a few mistakes due to inexperience as well. Now that I've seen how nian gao behave when cooked, I think I could do a much better job next time.

Fried Nian Gao
1 pkg. frozen nian gao
6 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. garlic paste
1 Tbsp. ginger paste
*2 Tbsp. Sichuan bean paste
dash of white pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
500g-700g thinly sliced lamb
227g sliced cremini mushrooms
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
6-12 whole dried chiles
*1 c. stock (vegetable, chicken, beef, pork)
8-12 napa cabbage leaves, shredded
3 carrots, cut into thin coins
4 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. shaoxing wine
2 Tbsp. black vinegar
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
Laoganma (optional)

1. Place the nian gao in water for a couple of hours to thaw.
2. Do all the chopping and slicing and mincing and mix the sauce (wine, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar).
3. Heat up the wok and add 2 Tbsp. of oil. Add the onion and stir-fry for a minute. Add the pastes, cumin, and pepper and stir-fry for another minute. Add the lamb and stir-fry for a few more minutes until it's just cooked.
4. Remove the lamb from the wok and add more oil if necessary. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until desired doneness.
5. Remove the mushrooms from the wok and add a couple more Tbsp. of oil. Add the minced garlic and chiles and fry until aromatic but not burnt.
6. Add the (drained) nian gao and keep them moving! After 30 seconds or so add ~1/4 c. of stock and keep stirring. Cook until nian gao are softened and some begin to brown slightly around the edges adding more stock as needed during cooking.
7. Add the vegetables to the wok and stir-fry until cabbage is wilted.
8. Return the mushrooms and meat to the wok and stir to combine.
9. Stir in the sauce.
10. Serve garnished with Laoganma if desired.

The ingredients marked with asterisks are ones that I didn't include this time around but would like to try out next time. I just used water for cooking the nian gao this time and they came out tasty, but I think they would've been even better cooked in some nice vegetable stock!

I only put six chiles in this time around because, once again, I was trying to make sure it was mild enough for the froglet. It came out pretty mild though and I think I'd use at least 12 chiles next time and still consider it baby-appropriate. (The froglet is a trooper and seems to be good with moderately spicy dishes so far.) Along similar lines, I'd like to experiment with adding a bit of Sichuan bean paste or Laoganma when cooking the meat. Maybe a bit of soy sauce too. I felt it could've used a bit more spice and a bit more salt.

I put 8 napa cabbage leaves into the wok this time and it was good, but I think 10 or 12 would've been better. The cabbage really cooks down and it kind of ended up getting lost amongst the other ingredients. I had the opposite problem with the lamb. It came in a 700g package, so I just tossed all of it in. I really think that was too much though. I think more cabbage and less meat would make for better proportions the next time I'm making this.

Even with my minor mistakes (like not letting the nian gao cook for long enough before adding the veg and adding too much water) this was still pretty good. I think it has the potential to go from good to excellent if done right though. Maybe I'll give it a try again sometime soon and see if I can nudge it up to the next level of delicious.