Team Sky can’t get enough of these
Chris Froome considers rice cakes his secret weapon and, after close examination, it seems it’s pretty much the whole Team Sky that enjoys them. And there might be one man that’s responsible for that – the head chef for Team Sky, Henrik Orre.
“Rice cakes are my absolute favourite food for the jersey. I cook them a lot for the riders. Everyone who discovers them finds them to be their little favourite.”
Recipe: Rice Cakes
This recipe comes from a book called Vélochef by Team Sky’s head chef Henrik Orre. It’s an iconic cycling snack designed to give riders plenty of easy-to-digest energy. It’s full of complex and simple carbs as you would expect. But it became popular because it’s a solid, crunchy, and tasty food that can replace energy bars. Riders learn to love them when a thought of another gooey gel and the samey bar is repulsive. This recipe yields approximately 20 cakes, give it a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients
• 500 g carnaroli rice (risotto rice)
• 800 ml water
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp coconut sugar
• 300 g cream cheese
• 100 ml agave nectar
Directions
1. Use a rice cooker if you have one. Boil the rice, water, coconut oil, cinnamon and coconut sugar. Let it boil until all of the water has been absorbed.
2. Fold the cream cheese into the rice while it’s still warm.
3. Mix in the agave nectar and blend thoroughly.
4. Pour into a three-litre plastic bag with a zip lock. Flatten the bag and leave in the fridge overnight.
5. Take the bag out of the fridge and cut the rice mix into 5cm x 5cm squares. Wrap the squares in aluminium foil.
6. Add pistachios or other nuts to add variety.
