Rice wraps, Dongbei style (东北饭包)

Last Updated on November 27, 2020 by Simon Fan

In recent years, Chinese restaurants featuring food from Dongbei, the northeastern region of China, have made a stronger presence in the US, especially in big cities. In New York City, there are a number of excellent Dongbei restaurants showcasing the hearty and rustic food from that region.

A few months ago, some friends and I had a feast at a Dongbei restaurant in Greenwich Village, munching our way through an array of Dongbei specialties including pork skin aspic, smashed cucumber salad, dumplings filled with pork and pickled cabbage, braised pork bones, roast lamb chops with cumin, crispy pork, three-delights from the earth (stir-fried potatoes, peppers, and eggplant), and fried sweet potatoes in caramelized sugar.

The dish I’m sharing with you today, rice wraps, was not offered at that restaurant. In fact, this home-style dish beloved in Dongbei rarely shows up on restaurant menus. These rice wraps, essentially bundles of carbs, protein, and vegetables, are quick to make for a perfect one-dish meal that’s healthy, tasty, and incredibly satisfying.

There are many ways to make the rice wraps. Most versions I’ve seen would include cooked rice and potatoes mixed with stir-fried ground pork or eggs flavored with soybean paste; cilantro and crunchy peanuts often join the fun in the mix. Traditionally, Chinese cabbage leaves (aka napa cabbage) have been used as wrappers for the tasty mixture. In modern versions, lettuce leaves are often used instead.

The recipe below is my rendition of this Dongbei favorite. Feel free to make adjustments to your liking. For example, the amount of rice or potatoes used is totally up to you. Or you can replace the meat with eggs or pressed tofu for a meatless version.

You may also enjoy the other Dongbei dishes I’ve posted: Smashed cucumber salad and Napa cabbage and pork stew with potato noodles.

Rice wraps, Dongbei style (东北饭包)

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 oz (110 g) waxy or all-purpose potatoes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ medium onion, diced
8 oz (220 g) ground pork, chicken, or beef
1 tablespoon soybean paste such as huang jiang (黄酱, yellow soybean paste)
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
6 oz (170 g) cooked rice, warm
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
2 Persian cucumbers (about 4½ oz/130 g), one thinly sliced and the other cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) dice
One small bunch of cilantro, leaves and stems separated and stems cut into short lengths
1 oz (30 g) roasted peanuts
6 to 8 lettuce leaves
1 teaspoon chili oil or sesame oil

Directions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into about ½-inch (1.3 cm) slices. Place the potatoes in the pot covered with water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes (start checking the potatoes after around 5 minutes of simmering). Transfer the potatoes to a plate. Use the back of a spoon to break them up into small chunks.
2. Place a wok or skillet over medium heat until hot, then swirl in the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the diced onion and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the ground meat and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until it’s cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the soybean paste and hoisin sauce, and stir and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the meat mixture to a large bowl.
3. Add the rice and potatoes to the bowl with the meat mixture, and toss and mix until the ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix in the diced cucumber, cilantro stems, and peanuts.
4. To serve, spoon an equal portion of the mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf, garnish with the sliced cucumber and cilantro leaves, and drizzle with the chili oil or sesame oil.