Homemade Rice Cakes

Rice cakes are a popular snack with young and old. Unfortunately, crispy cakes have come under fire for being too high in arsenic. But this is only true when the rice comes from Asia. European rice contains much less arsenic than Asian rice. The problem is that we cannot know the origin of the rice used in commercial cakes. If you buy the rice yourself and prepare the cakes, the security is practically total.

Making rice cakes doesn’t just have health benefits. It also saves waste of plastic packaging. You can also use the leftover rice from the day before. Homemade cakes are slightly firmer and more substantial than store-bought cakes, as the rice grains are not inflated under high pressure using industrial techniques, but are simply boiled and baked.

Make the rice cakes yourself

Cooked rice is the base of homemade rice cakes. The leftovers from the previous day are particularly good for this, but of course also can cook fresh rice. For 10 to 15 rice cakes you will need:

Ingredients:

• 300g cooked rice (slightly sticky medium or short grain rice is especially suitable)
• 3 tablespoons of rice flour or other flour (gluten free)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, tapioca, or a comparable binder
• 50 ml of water
• 1 pinch of salt

Elaboration:

1. If you don’t have any leftover cooked rice, cook a suitable amount as follows: rinse the dried rice grains, then boil with 1.5 times the amount of water in a pot with the lid closed for 15 to 25 minutes (for white rice ) or 30 to 45 minutes (for brown rice), until all the water is absorbed.
2. Let the rice cool and then mix it with the rice flour, starch, and salt. Add water and work until you get a slightly sticky dough. Depending on the type of rice you use, the dough can be a bit sticky or rather dry. Then add a little more rice flour or water by the spoonful.
3. To get the classic round shape, spread the dough between two layers of parchment paper to flatten it to a thickness of about five millimeters. Once the dough is spread, carefully remove the top paper. Cut out circles with a small glass or bowl. Leftover dough can also be baked.
4. Bake the cakes on a paper lined tray at 180 ° C for 15-20 minutes, until crisp but not yet golden.

Rice cakes taste great as a crunchy snack for the whole family. They are also a delight with homemade chocolate jam or cream or nut butter.

To prevent the cakes from drying out or softening from residual moisture, it is best to put them in a cookie jar or something similar. They will last longer if you store them in the fridge in an airtight container.