Energy Rice Balls

When you are exercising for long and hard periods, your body (and your mind and stomach!) requires a mix of flavours and textures, and often just normal ‘everyday food’ to keep you going! You will often hear on Bob Graham rounds, athletes wanting all sorts of food, and if nothing else, psychologically, these may help in getting to the finish (pizzas and salty crisps are a common request!).

Here in the Mountain Fuel development kitchen, we have looked at an easy to consume, easily digestible snack to consume on the go, but have added a couple of everyday ingredients that provide the body with those extra flavours and textures often desired. We have combined these into bite size rice balls (now known as our “Energy Rice Balls”), and the two that got the highest vote were the Egg & Bacon and Sweet Potato. Here’s how to make them, but feel free to change, adapt, and add other flavours or ingredients as you see fit.

Base Recipe (makes 6 – 7 Energy Rice Balls; double up quantity if making both, as below)
Heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a frying pan, and add 75g of arborio (risotto) rice. Fry gently for 1 min. stirring until edges turn opaque but not brown!
Add 250ml of boiling water, cover and simmer for 20-25 mins (all the water should be absorbed). Once cooked, remove from pan and put aside.

a) Egg and Bacon

Grill a small rasher of streaky bacon, and once cooked, chop and finely dissect (best to use a blender for this).

Beat an egg with a dash of soy sauce, mix in the chopped bacon and pre-cooked rice and add the mixture into a pre-heated pan (with 1/2 teaspoon of pre-melted coconut oil).

Cook on a medium heat, and continuously fold in the mixture until the egg is cooked but still soft (2 – 3 mins). Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

b) Sweet Potato
Peel and slice (into 5-10mm slices) 1/2 a sweet potato and place in a baking tray. Lightly sprinkle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and place in a pre-heated oven at 200C. Roast for 20 mins.

Blend the cooked sweet potato into a smooth paste and mix in with the pre-cooked rice.

‘Energy Balling’ up
Take a large dessertspoonful of the mix, and place onto a small ‘square’ of cling film. Use the cling film to wrap up the mix, squeezing tightly into a small, bite-sized ball. Wrap up the top, and refrigerate. The Energy Rice Ball can be stored for 24hrs in the fridge, and consumed directly from the cling film package whilst ‘on the go’. Perfect!