Feed Zone Portables: Masala Chicken Rice Cakes
This Indian-inspired rice cake from "Feed Zone Portables" is perfect fuel on your next long ride or run.
Curry wins over many a pro and amateur athlete. Both savory and sweet, curry is a pleasant change of pace and readily available in grocery stores and specialty markets. Curry doesn’t have to be complicated to taste great.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked sticky rice
- 4½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
- ¼ cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- 8 ounces ground chicken (or boneless, skinless chicken breast)
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- Coarse salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions
- More curry powder (3–4 tablespoons total)
- ½ cup diced tomato (add to pan with onion and pepper)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced cilantro
How to Make Perfect Sticky Rice
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Step 1
Fresh-cooked rice is the essential ingredient in rice cakes because the rice is stickier when it’s warm, helping the cake hold together.
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Step 2
Calrose rice, a strain of medium-grain rice common in Asian cooking, is a type of sticky rice that is widely available. This variety cooks fast (in 20 minutes or less in most rice cookers), retains a nutty flavor, and is just sticky enough to hold together. Any “sushi rice” variety should work well for making portables.
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Step 3
If you haven’t made the leap and bought an inexpensive rice cooker, here’s a simple stovetop method for cooking sticky rice: Combine rice, water, and a dash of salt in a large saucepan. Bring rice to a low rolling boil, cover, and cook over low heat until the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Turn heat off and leave covered for another 10 minutes.
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Step 4
When making rice cakes, the texture will vary based on how much moisture is in your rice and the proportions of rice to wet ingredients. Go slowly so you can find the magical combination of “stickiness” and flavor. If your rice cakes are a little dry, try rinsing the rice under cool water before cooking, or adding more water to the rice before cooking.
Masala Chicken Rice Cake Directions
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Step 1
Combine rice, water, and a dash of salt in a rice cooker and let cook.
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Step 2
While rice is cooking, bring a sauté pan to medium-high heat with just enough oil to coat bottom of the pan.
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Step 3
Cook onions and peppers until the onions become translucent.
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Step 4
Add the curry powder while continually scraping the pan. If needed, add more oil to keep the mixture from sticking. Stir in the tomato sauce while still scraping pan.
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Step 5
Add chicken and cook until it is cooked through and begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in yogurt. Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
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Step 6
When the rice is finished cooking, add it to the chicken and vegetables. Add salt to taste and evenly spread into a 9” × 12” baking pan.
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Step 7
Let set up for a few minutes, then cut into squares and wrap.
Per Serving: Calories 179, Carbs 33 g, Protein 6 g, Fat 2 g, Fiber 1 g, Sodium 66 mg
Adapted from Feed Zone Portables by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim with permission of VeloPress.