Tofu and Pea Nuggets Coated in Oven-Baked Rice Cakes

Hand on heart, how many of us start eating rice cakes the moment we start a diet?

I'm sure quite a few.

And there's a good reason: puffed rice contains a high amount of air, so the actual mass being eaten is low (and hence, the calorie intake is low too).

Beyond spreading a (thin!) layer of hummus and vegetables for a quick dinner, you can absolutely use them to create a variety of recipes, like these tofu and pea nuggets coated in rice cakes.

And if you're worried about the high glycemic index of white rice cakes, you can rest easy because Patit (remember eating those back in the day?) released a selection of whole-grain cakes like:

Corn cakes with quinoa and basil, corn cakes with chia and oregano, or buckwheat with chia and whole corn.

Full disclosure: They also participated in the preparation of this recipe.

Honestly (and I'm not saying this because they paid me): their rice cakes are tasty, nutritious, and can be a great solution for a light snack or a main meal.

So sure, you can just snack on them as is, but it's much more fun to use them to coat soft tofu nuggets and bake them in the oven.

It's a perfect solution for anyone looking for a gluten-free dish and a nice way to save on calories.

What's not to love?

The nuggets come out slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a bold Asian-inspired flavor.

Unfortunately, they don't hold up well after freezing (the rice cakes absorb moisture), but they can be kept for up to three days in the fridge (a short reheat in a toaster oven will bring them back to life).

A bit about the recipe

I used firm tofu – make sure you don't use silken tofu, but the kind intended for stir-frying.

For extra flavor and volume, I used frozen green peas. You can replace them with the same amount of green beans, edamame, or even grated zucchini.

I chose an Asian seasoning which I think complements the nuggets perfectly. If you want a different style, you can swap it for cumin, garlic, chili, parsley, and olive oil. It will be just as tasty.

Nutritional values by clinical dietitian and fitness trainer Noam Bechar:

One nugget out of 10 (50g serving) contains:

70 calories

6g protein

7g carbs

5g fat

Want another tofu nugget recipe? Click here

Tofu Nuggets with Rice Cake Coating

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 11 minutes

Servings 10 nuggets

Ingredients

For the nuggets

• 1 pack thin corn cakes with whole corn (Patit style) 5 thin cakes total
• 300 g tofu
• 1 cup frozen green peas thawed
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• ½ tsp chili flakes

For the coating

• 2 tbsp canola oil or any neutral-flavored vegetable oil
• 1 pack thin corn cakes with quinoa and basil 5 thin cakes total

Instructions

1. Process the tofu in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

2. If your food processor struggles, add a little water.

3. In a deep bowl, crumble one pack of rice cakes by hand into fine crumbs (they don't need to be uniform, but avoid very large chunks).

   

4. Add the tofu paste and the rest of the nugget ingredients to the bowl: peas, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, garlic, ginger, and cilantro.

5. Add half of the crumbled rice cakes and mix well until a uniform mixture forms.

6. Add the second half of the crumbled rice cakes and mix thoroughly.

7. Preheat oven to 200°C.

8. In a separate bowl, crumble the second pack of rice cakes into crumbs for the coating.

   

9. With wet or oiled hands, form the tofu mixture into balls the size of a ping-pong ball and roll them in the rice cake crumbs.

   

10. Lightly coat each ball with a little oil – make sure to coat the entire ball well for crispiness.

11. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the nuggets are golden brown.

12. Enjoy while hot!