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It's all too common to find yourself with leftover rice and no plan as to what to do with it. Luckily, it's easy to transform old rice into yummy rice cakes! These aren't quite like the standard puffed rice cakes from the grocery store, because they won't taste like styrofoam. There are several variations of homemade rice cakes that are all delicious in their own way, including simple fried sticky rice cakes and savory cheesy rice cakes.

[Edit]Ingredients

[Edit]Sticky Rice Cakes

Cooked sticky rice (as much as you want)
olive oil

[Edit]Cheesy Rice Cakes

200 g (1 cup) cooked rice
1 egg
1/2 of a small onion, chopped (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)
onion powder (optional)
parsley flakes (optional)
14.79 to (1-2 tbsp) of olive oil

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Frying Sticky Rice Cakes

Wet your fingers and mold cooked sticky rice into circular cake shapes. Wetting your fingers prevents the sticky rice from sticking to your fingers.^[1] Then, gently pull away about 12.5 g (1 tbsp) of rice and mold it into a circular cake shape that is about in diameter. Use your fingers to press down on the rice and flatten it so it's thin, but don't press so hard that you make holes in the rice.^[2]
- Sticky white rice is best for this recipe because it holds its shape well.
- It's better to make your rice cakes thinner rather than thicker, because they will expand a lot during cooking.
- To make this process easier, you can press the rice into a simple circular cookie cutter or round mold.^[3]
Let the shaped cakes dry at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Check that they've dried completely by gently trying to bend and break them. They should be pretty firm when they are dry.
- If you aren't quite ready to fry the cakes, you can store the dried ones in an airtight container indefinitely until you're ready.^[4]
Pour of olive oil into a skillet. You may need to add more or less depending on the size of your skillet. The layer of oil should still be relatively thin, but also deep enough so that the cakes can be fully submerged in the oil as they're cooking.
Bring the oil to a boil. Use a cooking thermometer placed in the skillet to know when the oil is at the right temperature. It's important to make sure that the oil is hot enough, because this results in a rice cake that is more crisp and less greasy.^[5]
Place 1-2 rice cakes in the oil. Using tongs, place the 1-2 rice cakes in the oil.^[6] You're essentially going to deep-fry them.
- Depending on the size of your pan, you may be able to cook more than 2 rice cakes at the same time.
Remove the rice cakes from the oil when they rise to the surface. Use tongs to remove the cakes from the oil when they expand and rise to the surface — that's when you know that they're done. The rice cakes will cook pretty quickly, so usually about 30 seconds in the oil is plenty.^[7] The rice should be fairly white with no discolorations.
Serve the rice cakes within one day of making them. It's best to serve your cakes as soon as possible after frying them. The oil will cause the cakes to spoil quickly, so it's not recommended to store them and save them for later.^[8]

[Edit]Making Cheesy Rice Cakes

Mix cooked rice, egg, cheese, and spices in a bowl. Combine 200 g (1 c) rice with 1 egg in a bowl. Then add cheese. It's super easy because all the mixing is done in one bowl!
- If you'd like, you can dress up this recipe by mixing half of a small onion (chopped), minced garlic, and red pepper flakes, onion powder, and parsley to taste.
- This recipe also lends itself really well to experimenting. Add your favorite vegetables and spices to make the patties your own. Carrots or green onions might be yummy additions.^[9]
Form small patties with the rice. The size of the patties is up to you — they can be cookie-sized or pancake-sized. However, just remember that the larger the patties are, the longer they'll need to cook.
- If you feel like your rice is not sticking together enough, add another egg to the mixture to increase the stickiness.
Chill the patties for at least 30 minutes in the fridge. This will help them retain their shape when you fry them afterward. You'll want the rice to stick together as much as possible. You can leave them in the fridge for longer than this if necessary, but be sure they have at least 30 minutes to chill.
Heat 14.79 to (1-2 tbsp) of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. The oil should form a thick coat over the bottom of the pan. You'll want the oil to be crackling and popping before you put the patties in.^[10]
Fry the patties for about 5 minutes on each side. You'll know that they're ready when the surface of the rice becomes golden brown. Remember, larger patties will probably need a few extra minutes to fully cook.
- Be careful when flipping the patties, as they can easily break. This won't affect the taste at all, but they just won't look pretty on a plate.^[11]
- It's best to eat cheesy rice cakes right after eating them, as the oil will go rancid if you try to store it.

[Edit]Video

[Edit]Tips

Before cooking, make sure that your olive oil is still good. Olive oil is usually fine to use within a year of purchase. If it develops any kind of bitter or rancid flavor, throw it out!^[12]
You can make this with normal short-grain rice cooked with a little more liquid to mimic sticky rice. However, long-grain rice like basmati won't keep its shape well.