How to Cook Crispy Rice Cakes

Yields: 1 dozen 2 ¾’’ rice cakes

Preparation time: overnight

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients needed to make Crispy Rice Cakes:

• 1 ½ cups raw Thai sticky rice
• 6 oz jaggery
• ½ cup watermelon juice
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Cooking instructions for Crispy Rice Cakes:

• Soak the rice in enough water overnight and drain it out into a large pot.
• Pour water into it until the rice is completely immersed and cook to perfection.
• Drain it out into a shallow bowl and toss well along with watermelon juice and a dash of salt; set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Take portions of the cooked rice in your palms and shape it into round balls.
• Press each of them until they turn 2 ¾’’ wide and ¼’’ thick.
• Arrange them on top a baking sheet, lined previously with parchment paper and place in an oven.
• Cook at the lowest temperature setting in the oven to dry it up and set aside.
• Pour vegetable oil into a deep skillet until it stands 3’’ from the base and heat it over moderate heat until it reaches 300 degrees F.
• Dip the dried rice cakes carefully into the hot oil, few at a time, and deep fry for a minute until the rice puffs up and the cake turn crispy golden brown.
• Drain them out onto paper towel to soak away excess oil and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, to make the sauce, place the sugar as well as jaggery in a small pan, along with ¼ cup water and cook until the sugar melts and thickens into a caramel, while stirring the mixture constantly while it cooks.
• Arrange the rice cakes onto a serving platter and drizzle the sweet syrup over them until well coated.
• Set aside to let the syrup set and serve.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons