Team recipe: Vegan rice cakes

Last season we shared the recipe for our team’s all-important rice cakes.

As with the original dairy version, we consider the vegan rice cakes recipe to be a blank canvas. Delicious just the way they are, these chewy little cakes can also be jazzed up with any number of additions. Here are a few vegan add-in options to try:

// Cinnamon + finely chopped crystallized ginger //
// Lemon zest + chopped dates + cashews //
// Crushed salted roasted peanuts + cacao nibs //
// Chopped almonds + toasted coconut flakes + diced dried apricots //

A note about ingredients: Make sure you use creamed coconut, rather than coconut cream or milk. Creamed coconut is a creamy white semi-solid, typically sold in a block at the grocery store.

In a rice cooker, combine water, rice, sugar, coconut oil and vanilla. Turn it on and leave to cook. Once the rice cooker has finished cooking, mix coconut cream directly into the warm rice. If you’re using any spices, fruit, chocolate, nuts or other add-ins this is the time to add them. Mix thoroughly.

Once cooled to room temperature, spoon the mixture into a large zip-closure freezer bag. Flatten, smooth the air out and leave to cool on a flat tray. Once cool, transfer to the refrigerator to set up overnight.

The next day, slide your rice cake slab out of the plastic bag and onto a cutting board. Cut into approximately 20 squares. You can either keep them all together in an airtight container, or individually wrap them in foil. They should be stored in the fridge until needed. Refrigerated, they’ll keep for three to four days.