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Reader Recipe: Puffed Rice Salad

This recipe by Ritu Kapoor came in 3rd place in our Springtime reader recipe competition. She says: This dish is inspired by bhel puri, a popular Indian street food. I have added cucumber, tomatoes, herbs and peanuts and substituted the fried base for puffed rice, making it lighter, healthier and yummy. It is a great snack, side salad, light lunch or supper. Perfect for spring and summer!

Ingredients 1 ½ cups Waxy potatoes, diced 1 ½ cups Puffed rice (Main) 1 Tbsp Red onion, finely diced 1 Green chilli, finely diced, use up to 2 chillies ¾ cup Lebanese cucumber, deseeded and diced ¾ cup Acid-free tomatoes, diced ¼ cup Coriander leaves, chopped ¼ cup Chopped mint ¼ cup Roasted peanuts, chopped 1 Lime, juice only 1 sprinkle Chat Masala, the savoury, tangy spice mix is available from Indian grocers Directions

Boil the potatoes until cooked but firm, put aside to cool.

Dry roast the puffed rice until lightly toasted, put aside to cool. This step is optional.

In a bowl mix the onion, chillies, cucumber, tomatoes, coriander, mint and potatoes. Squeeze the lime over the mix (you may need more than one lime), season to taste with salt and pepper and add the chat masalaa few sprinkles at a time until you are happy with the balance. The mixture should be quite tangy and slightly over seasoned.

Just before serving, add the puffed rice and mix.

Garnish with some extra mint and coriander and sprinkle with the peanuts.

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Ask Peter: Puffed Rice

Bite featured a recipe using puffed rice recently and I am intrigued — could you substitute that from the Indian grocer with the rice bubbles in the cupboard, or are they completely different things? Edgar

I'm not entirely sure what the puffed rice from the grocer looks or tastes like but I'm guessing puffed rice, in all its forms is more or less the same thing. The rice will likely have been par-boiled, then dehydrated, before being cooked at a high temperature either by deep-frying or blasting with hot air.

This technique is used a lot in restaurants, including my own. At The Sugar Club my head chef Nagaraju will soak basmati rice in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain it, and boil it like pasta until almost overcooked (the pre-soaking helps keep its shape).

It's then drained, briefly rinsed, and laid out in single layers on trays in a dehydrator — the sort of thing you dry fruit purees in to make fruit leathers. Once dried, it's deep-fried in a few centimetres of oil until it pops and becomes crisp. Left to drain and cool, and stored in an airtight container it'll be delicious for several weeks.

Obviously this is quite a lot of faff to get some crispy rice when in fact you could use rice bubbles and I think they'd work really well. I'd suggest a few tweaks though — depending on what you'll be serving them with.

In a dish like the aforementioned puffed rice salad, reminiscent of the delicious multi-flavour-layered bhel puris that I ate in Bombay (as it was called when I was there in 1986), what you're after is a crunchy rice-y non-not crunch. Because there seem to be quite a lot of punchy flavours in the mix, keeping the rice nice and simple is the trick.

But if you decided to add some puffed rice to, say, a salad of flaked hot-smoked salmon, diced avocado and cucumbers, you could flavour the rice bubbles with chilli flakes, crushed fennel and cumin seeds, chopped garlic and a few teaspoons of sesame oil or olive oil. Toss everything together and bake in one layer (i.E. Don't fill a deep dish) at 160C, stirring frequently, until aromatic and golden brown.

If you add any liquid to the mix beware: the liquid will have to evaporate in order for the rice to remain crispy which will take longer (and you'll risk cooking the rice to dark brown, so if you come over all Mexican and want to make the rice tangy with lime, add it to the finished dish as a juice instead). Now you've mastered the joys of secret ways with rice bubbles, you can also apply it to cornflakes.

At my restaurant The Providores in London we're currently tossing them with milk powder, butter, icing sugar and spices and baking them until they become a deliciously crunchy sweet garnish we're currently serving with bacon ice cream and banana salted caramel. I've also just made a version with maple syrup that we're putting on a doughnut in a few weeks' time to raise money for the charity Action Against Hunger.

To be honest I'd not bought any such cereal for years as I'd moved on to granola and muesli that I make myself, but it's been fun reminiscing about these old childhood memories.

Another way I like to use cornflakes is to crush them reasonably small and use to coat prawns, chicken croquettes and other suitable foods when you want something more than just breadcrumbs.

I once ate a delicious, but slightly bonkers chicken bake that was poached chicken meat shredded into bechamel sauce and sliced field mushrooms, toppeda new respect for cerealwith grated smoked cheese, cornflakes and rice bubbles. It was marvellous and moreish and gave me a new respect for cereal!

Reader recipe: Puffed rice salad Puffed rice salad

In our Ask Peter series, executive chef Peter Gordon answers your curly culinary questions. If you're stumped over something food-related, send your question to askpeter@bite.Co.Nz and keep checking in for answers. You can read more on Peter on his website, have a read of his Ask Peter articles or check out his recipes on our site.

We Ate Dozens Of Little Debbie Snacks In One Day—Here Is Our Definitive Ranking

Every Little Debbie Snack, RankedJeff Greenberg - Getty Images

Nothing screams nostalgia quite like childhood snacks. Whether you were a fan of Lunchables or more of an Uncrustables kid, there was no better way to round out your school lunch than with a Little Debbie treat. You probably remember the popular ones like Cosmic Brownies and Nutty Buddies, but there are dozens of Little Debbie snacks on the market.

So in an effort to inform the public (but also fulfill our childhood dreams) we taste-tested 24 of the most iconic Little Debbie snacks you can buy. This is nowhere near all of them—we decided to forgo the seasonal offerings and focus exclusively on the most well-known snacks that you can find year round. While some still have the same taste we remembered, others were proof our tastebuds have evolved. Here's our ranking of the best Little Debbie snacks, from worst to best.

Looking for more food rankings? We have opinions on the best potato chips, frozen french fries, and Oreo flavors.

Mini Zebra Donuts

These donuts were too dry for us to even finish. Cute, yes, but they don't make the cut.

Little Debbie

Banana Marshmallow Pies

This was an extremely polarizing pick among our tasters. Some fell head over heels for the bouncy marshmallow center and the nostalgic banana flavor. Others could barely keep a bite down. If you're among the sick people who actually enjoy eating banana Laffy Taffy, this one's for you.

Little Debbie

Mini Brownies

We spent the entire time eating these wishing that we were eating Cosmic Brownies instead. They're not bad, but why eat them when there's a near perfect alternative offered by the same brand?

Little Debbie

Cherry Pies

The Cherry Fruit Pies get points for the pastry, but the filling doesn't really deliver a cherry flavor. It's more like a generic sweetness.

Little Debbie

Donut Sticks

These donuts, like the other Little Debbie donut options, are on the dry side. But as one taster noted, the sweet, crisp glaze redeems it. You definitely want to dunk these into a cup of coffee.

Little Debbie

Unicorn Cakes

Not going to lie—many of us were scared to try these Unicorn Cakes. You definitely can't find these colors out in nature. But once you get past the vibrant hues, these cakes taste like strawberry lip gloss in a good way.

Little Debbie

Snickerdoodle Creme Pies

Snickerdoodle Creme Pies are a relative newcomer to the Little Debbie lineup. We absolutely loved the cinnamon-sugar crystals that added a surprise burst of crispness in the cookies, but they overall didn't read as snickerdoodles.

Little Debbie

Zebra Cakes

Zebra Cakes are one of the more nostalgic offerings in the Little Debbie lineup. And for the most part, the flavor holds up to the test of time. One of our tasters said, "I love how plushy it is."

But we also think our younger selves were easily swayed by the striped design. There are other Little Debbie snacks that probably deserve more hype instead.

Little Debbie

Fudge Rounds

The Little Debbie Fudge Rounds are super decadent, so much so that we would struggle to eat an entire one on our own. But if you're looking for an extra indulgent treat it's a solid pick.

Little Debbie

Honey Buns

Many of us have fond childhood memories of Honey Buns, but did they hold up in the taste test? Yes and no. Some said they were too sweet, but we love them for their soft texture and the mems, of course.

Little Debbie

Chocolate Chip Creme Pies

Frosting lovers, rise up! The cookies in this Chocolate Chip Creme Pie are essentially there just to be a vehicle for the rich, vanilla creme in the center.

Little Debbie

Star Crunch Cosmic Snack Cookies

The Star Crunch Cookies are a serious textural experience. You get the sticky caramel in the center, the melty chocolate, and the crispness of the puffed rice coating. We wouldn't call it a crunch necessarily, but it's still really enjoyable.

Little Debbie

Oatmeal Creme Pies

These classic cookies weren't quite as we remembered—perhaps a bit too sweet. But regardless, they're still a favorite. "The classic. I'll always love these," wrote a tester. "Sweet, but the oat balances out."

Little Debbie

Birthday Cake Mini Muffins

All of the nostalgia of an elementary school birthday party in a mini muffin package.

Little Debbie

Strawberry Shortcake Rolls

Imagine if you take a Twinkie, then added a bright pink strawberry jelly in the center. The texture of the Strawberry Shortcake rolls are soft and pillowy, and strikes the right level of sweetness without being excessive.

Little Debbie

Blueberry Mini Muffins

There's something about a pre-packaged blueberry muffin that evokes a delightful nostalgia. And these mini muffins are no different—they're by far the best mini bite in the Little Debbie lineup.

Little Debbie

Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars

Chocolate, peanut butter, and crunch—what more could you ask for? While some thought there was too much wafer, others enjoyed this one. "Perfection. Truly," wrote one tester.

Little Debbie

Jelly Creme Pies

We suspect that this is the same jelly that's found in the center of the Strawberry Shortcake Rolls—which is definitely a good thing. The bright, nostalgic artificial fruit flavor pairs perfectly with the crisp cookie, the fluffy creme, and the rich chocolate coating.

Little Debbie

Pecan Spinwheels

We loved the cinnamon and pecan flavor of these, but wish there were more pecans. The outside was a bit dry, but the inside was our favorite part.

Little Debbie

Chocolate Cupcakes

What's not to love about the Chocolate Cupcakes? They're creamy, fudgy, rich, and just quintessentially Little Debbie. No notes.

Little Debbie

Apple Pies

Can we just say that the pastry on Little Debbies fruit pies is a star in its own right? It's crisp, flaky, and absolutely perfect. The sticky, cinnamon-scented apple filling also serves as a nice counterbalance to the crust.

Little Debbie

Swiss Rolls

"Swiss Rolls Slap!!" wrote one tester. We especially liked the soft cake rolled around a creamy filling.

Little Debbie

Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

That's right, these underrated bars beat out the Nutty Buddy. Testers liked the smooth, creamy peanut butter center. "Reese's meets Twix," wrote another.

Little Debbie

Cosmic Brownies

"Can never go wrong with the OG!" wrote one tester. This is why Cosmic Brownies take the top spot. These chocolate brownies are topped with fudgy icing and chocolate candy. "Nostalgia!!" and "10/10" wrote others.

Little Debbie

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