Food Discovery : Rice Crunch, Sekinchan

Sekinchan, a small fishing village in Peninsular Malaysia, is famed not only for its fresh seafood and handmade snacks but also for its picturesque paddy fields.

Throngs of local tourists flood here during school holidays. The landscape is most beautiful when the paddy plants are at the beginning of flowering stage, carpeting fields with lush greenery. It is a view that relaxes tense shoulders, a sight that will remain in fond memory for a long time.

I could go on and on about the wonderment of standing in the middle of a paddy field but this post is about a delicious rice snack that I purchased from a stall located behind Sekinchan's well known paddy processing factory. Just because this is a haunt for day-trippers, it doesn't mean it's less special or 'overrated', a label synonymous with anything touristy. For every bite I took, there was a yearning for another. That's the trouble with yummy food. It's hard to stop eating!

Delicious Bubble Rice Cracker Hot Off The Wok!

These snacks were made on the spot. Rice Crunch is the name it is packaged under. To us, it is also known as Bubble Rice Crackers or Rice Bubble Bars.

Two cheerful men, seasoned with making bubble rice crackers, made short work of the snack. They were used to gawking tourists, evident from the way they paid no heed to our clicking cameras. I was amazed by their speed, from cooking to slicing! They worked together in perfect harmony. If only this spirit of teamwork was embodied in every layer of society.

You must be curious as to why I'm singing high praises of this rice snack; It's common, can't be said to match the uniqueness of a cronut nor it is as visually exciting as macarons.

I'm impressed because I have never taken a huge liking to bubble rice crackers before. Overly sticky and sweet rounds up my limited experience. This one, however, is flavoured just right and the delicate puffed rice, held together with a bit of syrup, offers a pleasant crunch with less gooeyness. Great texture! Peanuts and sesame seeds add to the palatable experience.

Here's a small look at how this is made.

Bubble Rice Crackers In The Making

It starts with syrup fried in oil. Once the mixture begins to thicken, sesame seeds and peanuts are added. After a good stir, a bucket of puffed rice was poured in. It is mixed up very quickly as you can see from the video above. Finally, it is transferred into a rectangular tray for shaping.

The bubble rice mixture is pressed into the tray with a heavy stone rolling pin.Then, the tray is turned upside down - a wide rice bubble 'cake' pops out and it is ready to be cut. A chopper is used to slice it into bite-sized pieces.

I purchased two packets. It was left unsealed since it was still very hot. The seller advised waiting until the rice bubble crackers had cooled before tying it up with the twist-ties provided.

Rice Bubble Bars / Crackers

The best thing about this snack? There's no artificial flavours, colouring or preservatives! Do I hear cheers?

Rice Crunch

The view behind the food stall.

Paddy Field and Factory, Sekinchan

Where to get this: At a food stall located across the road from the back entrance of PLS Marketing's Sekinchan Paddy Processing Factory. Visit http://www.sekinchan.org/paddy-processing-factory.html for directions to this place.