These crispy rice bites are a new trend stemmed from modern Japanese restaurants. The left-over sushi rice is fried until golden and super crispy, then often served with raw or marinated fish.

In this case, I used Arborio rice from sustainable agriculture by Riso Gallo and decided to keep the recipe vegan by serving the rice bites with smoked aubergines dressed with peanut butter and sesame dressing, charred avocado and chili.

It’s quirky recipe, tangy and very fresh and I believe it will be amazing If served at the beginning of a garden party during the summer.

Method:

To prepare the rice. Wash the rice and rinse it about 5 times until the water comes out almost clear and free from cloudy starch. Now place the rice into the rice cooker and cover with about double the amount of water (a little extra water if you like your rice well cooked). Cook as per the rice cooker instructions and when ready remove it from the heat and place it into a bowl.

If you do not have a rice cooker, you can follow the same process and quantity using a simple pot. Cover the rice with the water needed and let it simmer covered with a lid without stirring until all the water is absorbed.

Now dress the hot rice with the rice vinegar, salt and sugar, mix well and while still warm spread the rice onto a flat tray lined with film (about 1 to 2 cm thick). Press firmly to compact the rice and let it cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours (until firm).

When cold, cut the rice into segments or shards of the length of your choice and pan fry them at medium heat in hot oil on both sides until very well golden. It should take about 4 minutes each side.

When ready let them sit on the side at room temperature.

For the aubergines: Cook the Aubergines over the BBQ or open flame on gas stoves. It should take about 10/15 minutes for them to be soft, fully cooked through and lightly charred on the outside. This cooking method will give them a lovely smoky flavour. Alternatively, pierce the aubergines with skewers and cook in the oven at 200 degrees C for about 20 minutes until soft. Place the cooked aubergines in a covered container, the steam will loosen up their skin even more.

When cold, carefully remove the skin from the aubergine. This step could take time but it will be worth it. At this stage it is fundamental to drain the pulp for 10 minutes to lose as much water as possible, you can even pat dry them with kitchen paper.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together in a bowl, the peanut butter, tahini paste, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, honey, salt and pepper. Once creamy, add it to the aubergines, mix well and taste to check the seasoning.

For the charred avocado: Simply peel a ripe avocado and remove the pulp from skin with a spoon. Now charr it with a kitchen blowtorch and let it sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing it into thick strips. Dress with olive oil and salt.

If you don’t have a blowtorch simple serve the avocado as it is.

To serve, place the crispy rice on a plate and top with a spoonful of aubergine pulp. Now add the avocado, sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with a thin slice of fresh chili and a leaf of fresh mint for each pieces of rice.