Crispy, fried rice cakes.

This has got to be one of may favourite childhood meals, and adult ones for that matter. When I entered the 'Western world' over 10years ago ( after a childhood in Zambia ) I was shocked to find that rice cakes exist and that they are not what I thought they were! 'Their' version of rice cakes are puffed rice, cracker type things, I was sorely disappointed to say the least. Herein comes the Sophie version of rice cakes, read and love ( I hope)! Or at least be curious...

This is a picture of the lovely rice cakes! Golden and crispy and crunchy. If you love rice you will love these, I can't imagine why you wouldn't. 

I think they were traditionally a camping food in our family, a way of using up rice from the night before for breakfast, however we did eat them at home too. Since I grew up I have eaten them for any meal rather than just breakfast, whenever the calling comes. They are fried in a lot of oil so it is a good thing that the calling only comes maybe once in 3months or more. Phew! They are also a great vessel for marmite, so all marmite and rice lovers, this is for you. If you hate marmite, no fear, you can eat them with ketchup (which I do as well as with marmite) or even with syrup (which some of my cousins used to do when we were younger). Or however you want, plain with salt and pepper, but that is so boring!

So, if you have some left over rice you are in for a treat. Or you can make some and be in for a treat. You really want to use the cheapest white rice you can find as this will make stodgy rice which will help make great rice cakes. This was the only version of rice available growing up. When it is cool enough to handle, you kind of want to mash it or squish it a bit in the bowl, then pick up a small hand full and press it tightly into a flat cake shape in your palms. Your hands are going to get covered in rice at this point, it will be everywhere, no worries. Sometimes a few drops of water on your hands helps but don't over wet them or your rice cake will slide around in your hands. Do the best you can at squeezing the rice into these flat cake shapes at any rate. Then you want to shallow fry them in hot oil. I have made rice cakes after dinner with left over rice and kept them in the fridge to cook the next day, it does take a lot longer if you are heating up cold rice cakes. If you make them from freshly cooked rice you can handle them before the rice gets too cold and the cooking process is a little faster. You want a medium heat and just let them cook until they go golden then turn and let the other side cook the same. You need a couple of mm of oil at least, bear in mind however high up the rice cake the oil comes is how much will turn golden and crispy. I once had a very flat cake which went entirely crunchy and was very crumbly when I ate it. You could get them entirely crisped but gently so and then it would all be crunchy with no soft rice left. Lots of room for experimenting. I find the level of crispiness can sometimes depend on how hungry you are and how much time and patience you have to wait while they cook. When they are done you need to drain them on lots of paper towel to get some of the oil out before eating them. Well I do, you don't have to. Just helps make them less oily. 

The rice cakes can be cooked longer than these ones if you want them even crispier and crunchier. You can then slice them open in half, with a golden part on each side and at this point the marmite would get spread on them! Or you can just eat them however. I am not a big breakfast person but this would be my perfect cooked breakfast!

Rice cakes, fried eggs and fried tomatoes, yum! I admit I am also not a big egg person, and runny yolk is definitely a rarely eaten thing for me, but from time to time I do have a hankering for it and especially with rice cakes. 

Take this perfect, bite size bit of heaven right here. Crunchy rice cake, salty marmite, sweet and tangy ketchup and rich egg yolk, you couldn't ask for a better combination! In my opinion. Right now.