Try this quick Chinese spin on the classic cheeseburger mac

Growing up as a third-culture kid in the ’80s, our dinner table was a curated mix of traditional Cantonese dishes like beef chow fun and steamed whole fish, plus pizza and spaghetti. Barbecues and potlucks had the classics like hot dogs and burgers, but wouldn’t be complete without my mom’s fried spring rolls, which were famous in our neighborhood.

Television commercials never failed to sell a plethora of processed foods — ads for Banquet TV dinners, Hot Pockets and Jell-O Pudding Pops popped up between TGIF sitcoms on Friday nights. Hamburger Helper, though, was the one I would beg my mom to buy for us. One day, she begrudgingly made the creamy, meaty pasta — in the wok, of course.

I was hooked immediately.

How to stretch the meat when money is tight

Hamburger Helper was a way to stretch meat shortages — each variety of “Helper” required only one pound of meat, and, combined with pasta, it could easily feed a family of four. This boxed meal, along with its other varieties, fed me through college, along with 5-cent instant ramen and SpaghettiOs. It holds a special place in my heart, as any hardships I had faced throughout my life were sheathed in the affordable, familiar and comforting meal.

As an adult, I started making my own version of this nostalgic meal. While elbow macaroni is, and always will be, the standard for Hamburger Helper, a new spin using chewy rice cakes has seamlessly integrated itself into our weekly meal rotation, and its cultural fusion exemplifies the next level of third-culture home cooking.

These stir-fried rice cakes are tossed in a sauce made with chopped onions, ground beef and lots of shredded cheddar cheese. Tomato paste adds extra umami, and it comes together with just a few ingredients. Add more cheese or beef to bulk it up. The 3 cups of water isn’t too much — the starch from the rice cakes naturally thickens the sauce.

What are Chinese rice cakes, and why are they so popular?

The Quaker rice cakes from the ‘80s are nothing close to the rice cakes in this recipe. Chinese rice cakes, called nian gao, are made with glutinous rice pounded into a paste and formed into thin oval slices. This version is usually incorporated into savory dishes, like rice cakes stir-fried with Chinese chives and julienned pork. There are also sweet versions, such as tangyuan, which are glutinous rice dumplings filled with sesame paste. Korean stir-fried rice cakes, called tteokbokki, are a popular dish, with trendier versions covered in stretchy cheese.

Why are rice cakes so popular? Simply put, it’s the “QQ” factor.

QQ is the culinary term used to describe the springy, chewy texture of rice cakes. Fish balls, boba and mochi also have this addictively bouncy characteristic, one that is incredibly popular in most Asian foods. Texture is just as important as flavor, and the springiness in these foods is satisfyingly fun to eat.

Where to purchase Chinese rice cakes

You can find Chinese rice cakes in the refrigerated section of any Super H-Mart, and at most Asian grocery stores. They typically come in 2.2-pound packages. That may seem like a lot, but it’s equivalent to a 1-pound box of dried macaroni after it’s cooked.

How to prepare Chinese rice cakes

Straight from the package, rice cakes are clumped together and very stiff. Peel the rice cakes apart and soak them in a large bowl of hot water for about 15 minutes, then drain the water before adding the rice cakes to the stir-fry. Although rice cakes are technically cooked before packaging, they are not ready to eat straight from the bag.