Unique Rice Cakes from Around the World: Ansom Chek, Patoli, and More

Rice cakes can take different shapes and forms depending on the region they originate from, they may be made with puffed rice or with glutinous rice featured in delicious rice cake recipes. Some may be exclusively used for savoury preparations while others are centrepieces of desserts. Most cultures have their own take on the rice cake, making it a fascinating part of global cuisine.

Here, we’re going to talk about different types of sweet rice cakes around the world and encourage you to make these dessert cakes at home. Keep reading because there’s a bonus right at the end! 

Htoe Mont (Myanmar)

This is a soft and sticky rice cake dessert that comes from the Mandalay region in Myanmar. It contains glutinous rice, rice flour, and a mixture of dried fruits and nuts, and dessicated coconut.  

Ansom Chek (Cambodia)

Ansom chek is just one of the many rice cake sweets that can be found in Cambodia. It’s also found in Vietnam, where it’s known as Banh tet. Glutinous rice is moulded and rolled into a cylinder, stuffed with banana and steamed in banana leaves.  

Mochi (Japan)

You probably already know of mochi, which is as popular as sushi and yakitori. Glutinous rice is pounded into a paste that’s then moulded into various shapes. It has a satisfying chew and is mildly sweet. Sweet mochi is usually filled with sweet red bean paste, ice cream, or even some type of fruit or jam.  

Songpyeon (South Korea)

Tteok is the Korean word for rice cakes, and one popular tteok dish is songpyeon, which is usually made during the Korean harvest moon festival (Chuseok). Songpyeon is made with short grain rice flour and has a half moon shape. It’s usually stuffed with sweetened sesame seed paste, red bean paste, and chestnuts. What gives songpyeon a distinct aroma is that it’s steamed on top of pine needles.  

Nian Gao (China)

A Chinese New Year speciality, eating nian gap on the auspicious day is believed to bring good luck. There are some differences in the nian gao found all over China. This rice cake has the optimum mix of glutinous rice flour and regular rice flour to give it a lovely, chewy taste. It’s eaten at room temperature or it’s pan fried so the outside is crisp and the inside is gooey.  

Bibingka (Philippines)

Rice cakes are popular throughout the Philippines, and one such example is bibingka. A typical recipe calls for galapong, a dough made by fermenting glutinous rice cake in coconut milk, eggs, and more coconut. The batter is then poured into banana leaves and baked.

Patoleo (India)

Patoleo or Patoli is a type of rice cake stuffed with jaggery and coconut wrapped and steamed in turmeric leaves local to the Konkan belt. It’s usually made to mark celebrations like Ganesh Chathurthi or the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary.

Here’s a recipe that you can replicate at home:

Ingredients:

For the rice batter:

• 8-10 turmeric leaves
• 250 g rice flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 355 ml water

For the filling:

• 200-250 gm freshly grated coconut
• 300 gm jaggery powder
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• Pinch of grated nutmeg

Instructions:

• Create a thick batter resembling dosa batter with rice flour, salt and water. Let it rest for about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Then mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and set aside.
• Rinse and thoroughly dry the turmeric leaves. It’s best to do this in advance so the leaves are completely dry.
• Smash the spine of the turmeric leaf; this will impart a hint of turmeric aroma to the dish.
• Evenly spread the rice batter on the leaf, add the filling, and wrap it into a tight package.
• Steam the packages for about 10 to 12 minutes. Extract them from the steamer, let them sit for 5 minutes, then unwrap the patoleo.
• Serve with a drizzle of coconut milk or ghee.