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Crispy Rice Cakes

Crispy Rice Cakes

I volunteered to work at Meatopia in 2023 for Whittle and Flame, the charcoal makers. I had a great time. One of the perks of the job was being fed by some of the chefs I was supporting. One of those chefs, Paul Asher, was doing a Thai dish that he served with griddled rice patties.

Inspired by Paul, I came up with these crispy rice cakes, taking his idea but adding Japanese spices and prepping the cakes on a plancha, as opposed to a direct cast iron griddle. 

They were a real hit with Mrs MeatSmokeFire, so we’ve made them several times since.

Cooking surfaces

Small Cast Iron Skillet

or

HALF MOON CAST IRON PLANCHA GRIDDLE

BBQ Temperature

Ingredients

For the rice cakes

  • 1 cup glutinous rice (sticky rice)
  • Water to cook in as per the rice packet instructions or your rice maker
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • Either 1 tbsp mirin, or 2 tsp sugar (if you’re using sugar, dissolve it into the rice wine vinegar by heating it gently)
  • Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese 7 spice mix)
  • 3 tbsp ground nut oil for frying

For the dipping sauce and garnish

  • 125ml cup rice vinegar
  • 125ml low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 thinly sliced spring onions
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

Method

To make the dipping sauce – this is best done an hour before serving

  1. Pop all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. 
  2. Set aside to infuse.

To cook your rice cakes

  1. We use a Yum Asia rice cooker to make our rice. Otherwise, you can do it as per the instructions on the packet.
  2. Set up your Big Green Egg with either a cast iron skillet or plancha. Set the temp to 250°C.
  3. When the rice is cooked, fold in your sliced spring onions, rice wine vinegar, and either mirin or sugar.
  4. With wet hands, divide the rice into four and shape it into burger-sized patties.
  5. Oil your plancha or skillet and add the rice cakes.
  6. Sprinkle over a little Shichimi Togarashi. It’s spicy, so take it easy.
  7. Turn after 5 minutes, sprinkling the other side with the spice.
  8. Keep turning until you have golden brown rice cakes that are crispy on the outside but gooey on the inside. This will take about 15 minutes.
  9. Serve with some sliced spring onions and the dipping sauce.

Other serving ideas

These rice cakes can be served as a bed for some Japanese marinated steak.

I think they’d also work well with some torched and pickled mackerel.

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