Monday November 2, 2009
Waste not, want not
MY grandmother was the veritable conservationist, but in those days it was simply known as being frugal and thrifty ... and poor. There was no such thing as hiding away in my room to read a book when everyone else was doing their homework downstairs because that would have meant unnecessarily having one more light on.
With five growing grandchildren to feed and a limited budget, she wasted nothing. Our breakfasts were usually rice or noodles fried with whatever was left over from dinner. We had bread fried with egg and sprinkled with sugar, long before I even knew it was called French toast (and now my daughter has hers with maple syrup).
There was also pancake, made from flour and coconut milk. Eating out was not something we could afford, and noodles from hawker stalls were treats that we got during outings to the beach or cinema, or when my mother struck 4D.
Sure, we grumbled as all children do. But we were not deprived of good food either. My grandmother and mother just cooked everything at home – from tapioca cakes to prawn noodles to pulut inti. It was more economical, and they needed to feed children who wanted second and third helpings.
One of our regular breakfasts was rice cake, made from leftover rice with chopped shallots, chilli, spring onions and dried shrimps. You could also use ikan bilis, or whatever’s left from last night’s dinner. Just mix everything with enough flour and water to hold it all together, shape into patties and pan-fry.
We made it for breakfast the morning after my grandmother passed away because we needed to whip up something quick, and I remembered thinking that she’d have been so pleased. We hardly make these rice cakes now; no one thinks twice about buying breakfast and everyone is too busy rushing out.
I don’t recall the last time we made them, and was surprised at how easy it was. Best of all, they tasted as good as I remembered them to be. – Blessed Glutz
These patties make you want to cook too much rice. Rice Cakes
Makes about 8
● 2 cups cooked rice
● 3 shallots, sliced
● 1 clove garlic, chopped
● 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
● 1 stalk spring onion
● 2 tbsp dried shrimp, or fried ikan bilis
● 2-3 tbsp flour
● ¼ cup water
● Salt and pepper, to taste
● ½ cup cooking oil
Mix the cooked rice, shallots, garlic, chilli, spring onion and dried shrimp together in a bowl.
Add the flour and water, little by little, to bind the mixture. Adjust the flour and water according to the texture of the rice; season with salt and pepper.
Shape the mixture into patties. Heat the cooking oil and fry the patties over medium heat.
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