Puffed Rice Cakes

Puffed rice cakes are a light snack and can be an excellent base for spreading sweet or savory ingredients. Here’s how you can prepare them at home with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

• 100 g of puffed rice (you can use whole puffed rice for a healthier version)
• 50 ml of water
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. In a large bowl, add the puffed rice and a pinch of salt.
3. Slowly add water to the puffed rice, stirring gently. The goal is to moisten the rice to make it possible to form the cakes, but without overdoing the water.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Take a small amount of moistened puffed rice and place it on the tray, flattening it with your hands or with the back of a spoon to form a round cake about 10 cm in diameter and about 1/2 cm thick.
6. Repeat the process until all of the rice is used, leaving a little space between each cake.
7. Bake the cakes in the middle part of the oven and cook them for about 10 minutes or until they become crispy and slightly golden.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool completely before gently detaching them from the parchment paper.

Trivia

Puffed rice is simply rice that has been exposed to high heat and pressure to “explode,” a technique that preserves the nutritional properties of the original grain while making it lighter and crispier. Puffed rice cakes are a light alternative to bread and can be used in various ways, for example as a base for appetizers.

Customizing the recipe: You can add aromatic herbs such as rosemary or oregano to the puffed rice for a more flavorful version, or a bit of sugar and vanilla for a sweet variant. The shape of the cakes can also be changed by using molds to give the preparation a more playful and personal touch.