Have you guys caught on to the fact that I love brown rice? I don't eat it just because it's healthy - I eat it because flavor and texture-wise, I really prefer it over white rice. Even as a youngster, I'd be thrilled when my mom made brown rice. My sister though....not so thrilled. Her palette was not as refined as mine (I kid, I kid). So you can imagine how proud I was to hear that my 11-month-old nephew ate brown rice at dinner tonight! He obviously has very good taste.
Anyway, I could go on for a while about my nephew's superior qualities, but I'll get back on track here and tell you about this recipe. The inspiration for these cakes came from these brown rice balls on 101cookbooks and a recipe for savory rice cakes in Gourmet Today. I knew I wanted to go with an Asian flavor profile, and ended up mixing the rice with black sesame seeds, green onions, carrots, and ginger. After a quick pan fry, the cakes get wonderfully crispy on the outside, and they make a nice light meal with some eggs on the side. I'm pretty excited about this new way to use my beloved brown rice, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with more variations on this idea.
Makes 8 cakes
These cakes take a little bit of skill to cook. I’ve given detailed instructions, but basically just keep patching together any pieces that break apart. Once the cakes are browned on both sides and the egg is cooked, they will hold together well.
2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
¼ cup toasted black sesame seeds (regular sesame seeds would be fine too - the black ones just add nice color contrast)
½ cup thinly sliced green onion (green parts only)
1 cup coarsely grated carrot
2 tsp finely grated ginger (I grate ginger using a microplane zester)
Salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbs olive oil
Soy sauce, to serve
Suggested accompaniment: an egg, poached or over easy
Stir brown rice, sesame seeds, green onion, carrot, and ginger together in a mixing bowl. Season with salt to taste. Stir in beaten eggs and mix well. Form mixture into 8 patties (about 2 ½ inches in diameter), squeezing each one in your hands to help it hold together (mixture will be somewhat loose). After forming each cake, lay it on a sheet of wax paper. It’s ok if they start to break apart a little as they sit.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat skillet with 1 tbs oil. Place 4 cakes on the skillet - to do this, slide each one onto a spatula, press it back together if it has split apart and slide it onto the skillet. Press it back together again if necessary. Cook cakes, flipping once (very carefully - after flipping, press down lightly on the top of the cake and patch together any pieces that fall apart), until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer cakes to a plate. Add remaining 1 tbs oil to skillet and cook remaining cakes the same way. Serve immediately with soy sauce.
2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
¼ cup toasted black sesame seeds (regular sesame seeds would be fine too - the black ones just add nice color contrast)
½ cup thinly sliced green onion (green parts only)
1 cup coarsely grated carrot
2 tsp finely grated ginger (I grate ginger using a microplane zester)
Salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbs olive oil
Soy sauce, to serve
Suggested accompaniment: an egg, poached or over easy
Stir brown rice, sesame seeds, green onion, carrot, and ginger together in a mixing bowl. Season with salt to taste. Stir in beaten eggs and mix well. Form mixture into 8 patties (about 2 ½ inches in diameter), squeezing each one in your hands to help it hold together (mixture will be somewhat loose). After forming each cake, lay it on a sheet of wax paper. It’s ok if they start to break apart a little as they sit.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Coat skillet with 1 tbs oil. Place 4 cakes on the skillet - to do this, slide each one onto a spatula, press it back together if it has split apart and slide it onto the skillet. Press it back together again if necessary. Cook cakes, flipping once (very carefully - after flipping, press down lightly on the top of the cake and patch together any pieces that fall apart), until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer cakes to a plate. Add remaining 1 tbs oil to skillet and cook remaining cakes the same way. Serve immediately with soy sauce.
These do sound like they'd pair excellently with some eggs!
ReplyDeleteThese look yummy and I love the addition of ginger - one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI bookmarked those brown rice balls from heidi but I like them even more as patties! that turns them into a real meal in my opinion. The texture of brown rice is the best!
ReplyDeleteThe textures in these look great. I can just imagine how good they would be with that runny egg!
ReplyDeletei, too, whole-heartedly prefer brown to white!! these look so pretty, studded with carrots and black sesame seeds :)
ReplyDeleteI love cakes or burgers made out of grains. These woudl be right up my alley
ReplyDeleteOh I love this idea! I would never think to make something like this with rice!
ReplyDeleteI love brown rice too! These patties are so finely browned and well cooked that make me drool!
ReplyDelete