Delightfully spicy, this crispy rice is lovely to snack on, and is the perfect crunchy addition to a salad.
I was making a winter citrus salad the other day, and it had every element I wanted except for a crunch.
It was almost perfect.
I thought about different types of nuts and seeds and I just wasn’t feeling it.
So I did something I’d never tried before — I deep fried cooked rice. It was exactly as I’d hoped it would be — slightly aerated and super crispy. I sprinkled it with some delicious spicy seasonings and then mixed it into my salad.
Then it was perfect. 
Not only is it delicious in salads, but it’s also a fantastic snack and a pretty garnish.
Here’s the Winter Citrus Salad — it’s amazing! (In my humble opinion, of course.) 
Do you see the Spicy Crispy Fried Rice on top?
Enjoy everything!
- Grape seed oil for deep frying amounts will vary -- see instruction no. 2, and notes
- 2 cups cooked rice I used Basmati, but you can use any rice you'd like to
- 1 teaspoon Togarashi
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
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Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels and set aside.
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In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat about 3-inches of the oil to 340 degrees F. (Amounts will depend on the size of the pan you choose.)
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In two batches, use a large spoon to gently place the cooked rice in the oil. Once the rice begins to look crisp and golden, after about 4 minutes or so, use a slotted spoon to remove the rice and place it on the towel-lined baking sheet.
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Add the fried rice to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle it with the togarashi and salt. Toss to be sure the seasoning coats all of the rice.
While grape seed oil is my first choice, there are other oils you can use. Here's a great article on the best oils to use for frying.
Cracklin’ Rice Cakes are a childhood thing of mine. Thanks for updating it in a way I can get excited about all over again. GREG
Yay! Enjoy, Greg. 🙂
Woah absolutely brilliant. Can’t believe I’ve never considered deep frying cooked rice for that added crunch! Have got to try this!
Thanks so much, Vicky! Hope you like it as much as I do.
My wife loves fried rice. She would love the crispiness of your rice.
Thanks, Peter. Hope you try it!
Wow that is creative! And what the heck is Greg’s cracklin’ rice cake. I now want one of THOSE, too!
Me too, Dorothy! 🙂
I love fried rice, but I’ve never tried a crispy version like this. Sounds delicious and so fun!
Fun and delicious it is. 🙂
Wow, very creative idea! I have never had fried rice.
It’s super fun! Hope you try it. 🙂 Thanks for visiting my site.
Crispy rice sounds amazing right now!! Thanks for sharing this I will have to try it out
Thanks, Sam. Enjoy!
What a cool idea! I really need to work on my deep frying!
It’s a fun salad addition, David. 🙂
I love it! Kind of like a cheater’s version of fried rice 🙂
Thanks! Indeed, it is. And so delicious!