There are so many reasons to enjoy a barbecue, and we are adding to our grilling repertoire beyond . Think beef, lamb, pork, chicken, seafood, cheese, vegetables and even rice.
Yes, rice.
Although not as aromatic and flavourful as a chunk of steak or as juicy as a well-charred red capsicum, rice is a great ingredient to barbecue or grill.
Before you come at me because of what may seem an absurd recommendation (won't rice grains just fall through the grill? I hear you ask), I'm talking about grilling rice in cake form.
In Taiwan, I went to night markets and followed my nose to the Taiwanese sausages, squid and pork knuckle on a stick. But I particularly gravitated towards a good old-fashioned blood rice cake. This was lightly seared on a barbecue and served with a sweet, tomato sauce.
Shanghai rice cakes. Source: SBS Food
When I moved to Japan, my grilled rice-cake fascination often made me late for work. Of a morning, I'd skip down to my local sticky rice and mochi shop and buy three grilled rice cakes which came skewered and dipped in a sweetened soy sauce. I relished this almost daily. They were so good that I often found myself running behind schedule. I had to run for the bus to make up time, but the slightly chewy rice cake with a smokey outer skin was well worth it.
JAPANESE RICE CAKE
Sweet purple potato rice cakes (purple potato mochi)
It turns out I'm not the only one who loves grilled rice cakes. , chef at in Sydney, believes that there is an "abundance of steamed rice cake dishes" from his home country Vietnam. But one that he remembers fondly is a grilled banana rice cake called chuối nếp nướng.
"If you directly translate it, 'chuối' means banana, 'nếp' means sticky rice and 'nướng' means grill or grilling," says Hua. "Essentially, it is a ripe banana covered in glutinous sticky rice which is then rolled, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled until the outside is golden."
His mum used to serve this hot off the grill with sweetened coconut cream and crushed toasted peanuts and sesame seeds.
It was a treat for the whole family.
"I've always loved it. The simplicity [of the dish] made it so good, but it was a special occasion dish and served only when we would have large family barbecues," Hua says. "The smokey-ness and high heat definitely makes the rice cakes even better compared to just grilling them under a grill so it was a treat for the whole family."
VIETNAMESE RICE CAKES
Fried sticky rice cakes (xoi chien phong)
Part of the allure of some southeast Asian desserts is their stickiness and mochi-like texture. "Texture-wise, after being grilled and caramelised, the outer layer is still perfectly crunchy. But when you bite into it, the softer and stickier rice layer, as well as the hot sweetened banana, make the whole dessert delicious."
So Young Greenberg, a self-professed foodie and manager at the Korean Cultural Centre in Sydney, tells me that while there are many types of rice cakes in Korea (called 떡 or tteok) one of the most common is garaetteok, a long cylinder-shaped rice cake eaten during New Year celebrations, which is made into the popular dish, .
Mochi is popular in Japan. Source: A Recipe Reborn
"I believe the tradition of grilling tteok began when people got creative with the leftover garaetteok after the Lunar New Year," Greenberg says. "One of the dishes is called , meaning grilled rice cake that makes a great snack for children, which is simply grilling long garaetteok and dipping it in honey before eating."
YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED
The Sydney cafe dedicated to Korean rice cakes
is another popular dish. This is made of grilled or fried garaetteok on skewers and is coated with the spicy and sweet gochujang sauce.
"I sometimes make tteok gui for my children as they love the taste of sweet honey and the texture of crispness on the outside and soft chewiness on the inside," Greenberg says. "When they become more familiar with spiciness, I will definitely start making tteok kkochi for them to enjoy."
I sometimes make tteok gui for my children as they love the taste of sweet honey and the texture of crispness on the outside and soft chewiness on the inside.
Josephine Chidinma Okurame, owner of the Nigerian food business, , also has a love of grilled rice cakes. As a home chef who started making Nigerian food for friends before turning it into a business, she has fond memories of sinasir, a type of grilled rice cake in Nigeria.
"Nigerian culture is so heterogeneous with three primary tribes: the Igbos, Hausas and Yorubas," Okurame explains. "Hausas are predominantly situated in the northern part of Nigeria, and rice cakes in the form of sinasir and masa are delicacies popular in the northern region."
Sinasir is usually served with other dishes. "Sinasir is made with white rice, washed clean and soaked overnight ideally, then blended with water to create a pancake-like consistency. This mix is then hot water set just like in the boiling water custard setting process," she says.
Once you get your desired consistency, add the yeast, salt and yoghurt – the latter makes the batter softer and fluffier. Once the batter is fermented and has risen due to the yeast fermentation process, add baking powder with sugar and fry it on one side (covered) until it's ready.
