A Miso-Glazed Rice Cracker

I am fairly certain there are few in this community who wouldn't appreciate the crunch of a rice cracker, a rice cracker that is, that isn't even a smidge stale (let's be honest, a stale cracker is a particularly disappointing discovery). Rice crackers have become a staple snack for many, I expect because of their convenience and low cost, yet let's be honest, most of the popular commercially produced brands would contain little if any nutrient value (certainly let's not give the 'flavoured' varieties any air time here).

It was with my absolute delight that much loved Melbourne naturopath Catie Gett (of The Staple Store fame) agreed to share a recipe with me, because for anyone who follows Catie's exploits will attest, Catie is of the "food must add value to our lives if it's to be consumed" school of thought. 

Anyway, these little delights are quite possibly the yummiest crackers I’ve tried, so please, pop some time aside and make them - I promise you'll be stoked you did.

What makes these crackers life enhancing you may ask. Well I'm going to share a little information on the most pertinent ingredient in the recipe, miso. Miso paste was a relatively late discovery of mine that holds pride of place in my fridge and is a regular addition to many a recipe, for very good reason.

What is miso paste? *

Miso is a traditional Japanese fermented food that has been steadily gaining popularity over the years. (Read more about the benefits of fermented foods here). It's richness and complexity of flavour makes it a welcome addition to many recipes we have grown to love. The most common variety is made from a fermented paste of soybeans, or from a combination of white or brown rice and soy. 

What are the benefits of miso?

• Because of it's fermented nature, miso contains live lactobacilli which enhances our ability to extract the goodness from foods we digest
• It is high in polyunsaturated fats which are said to help reduce 'bad' cholesterol
• Miso is high in antioxidants which help rid our bodies of free radicals (nasty cell destroying chemicals linked to chronic illnesses)
• Miso increases the concentration of beneficial bacteria in our gut which not only aids digestion but also builds immune strength

Need I give you any more reason to give this recipe a whirl? No, I didn't think so.

For the dough:
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons filtered water
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons rice bran oil
1 teaspoon black pepper

For the glaze:
2 tablespoons coconut nectar or coconut sugar
2 tablespoons filtered water
1 tablespoon white miso (ideally brown rice miso)
½ teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
¼ cup black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 180C.

Combine chia, water, tamari and rice bran oil and stand for 10 minutes to form a ‘chia gel’. In a food processor process the chia gel, almond meal, cooked rice and black pepper until a ball forms. Rest mixture for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all glaze ingredients in a bowl with a fork.

To roll out the crackers divide the dough in half (work half the dough at a time) and place on greaseproof paper. Place another piece of greaseproof paper of equal size over the top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a thin, very even layer. Remove the top piece of paper. Scatter black sesame seeds over the dough. Replace the top layer of paper and roll to ingrain the dough with the seeds. With a pastry brush, coat the dough with glaze. Using a round cookie cutter cut the dough. Do not remove the paper underneath, or the spare dough between the freshly cut cookies.

Pop into the oven at 180C for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Reduce heat to 100C and allow temperature to fall. Apply another layer of glaze and pop back into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and sit on a rack until comfortable to touch. Break the sheet up into outlined cookie shapes. Place the individual crackers back on the oven tray and into the oven at 100C. Check at intervals. Remove when crisp. Allow to cool on rack.

Store crackers in an airtight container.

If you've no time to make these crackers in the near future, you must definitely save them for a rainy day so either bookmark the recipe or save it to your pinterest board. Or send it to a friend and demand that he or she makes them..and invites you around. 

And as with every other recipe on this site, I value any and all feedback so please, don't be afraid to share your views in the comment below. 

*Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/036618_miso_fermented_food_nutrition.html#ixzz44M79Ch5U