Rice Scooters, I first came across these tasty little snacks at the downtown Palo Alto farmer’s market.* Made by Sprogs, they may be small in size but they’re mighty in flavor.
Freshly made from Northern California brown rice, they’re hand-pressed slabs of rice with a variety of ingredients. Similar to o-nigiri but with more modern flavors. With meatie, veggie and sweetie options, there’s something for everyone. Plus, all of the veggie ones are vegan! Bonus points for that, and a couple of the sweeties are vegan as well.
Pictured above is the Kale & Kimchee which is my favorite. I like the spicy flavor the kimchee adds. The Shiitake pictured below is a close second, you can’t go wrong with mushroom umami. The other two veggie flavors are Coconut Red Lentil and Roasted Corn & Poblano, both good in their own way.
Vegan sweetie flavors are PB & Berries and Sunflower Butter & Berries. Just like a pb and j sandwich but with rice, although I prefer my rice to be savory rather than sweet.
Normally, I don’t like to eat cold rice, but these rice scooters are different. The rice stays soft even when chilled so they’re fine to toss from the fridge into a bag and let it come to room temperature for on-the-go eating. They can also be warmed up which I’ve haven’t tried.
It may seem a bit pricey at $2.59 each for a block of rice. But I figured it’s no different than paying $4.99 for a simple avocado roll from the supermarket take-out sushi counter. Plus the scooters are much more portable. And tastier. I’ll be packing a few for the trip to Grandma’s house next week.
* I haven’t seen Sprogs at the farmer’s market lately. But they’re available in select San Francisco stores, see their website for a current list or order online.
Hannah says
I’ve never seen such innovative rice balls before! I’ll have to hunt them down when I return to the bay area… Not much longer now. Can’t wait to taste these.
rika@vm says
OMG, these are wayyyyyyyy tooo cute! They remind me of stuffed sticky rice dumplings wrapped in leaves or nori, but they are definitely o-nigiri-like! The Kale & Kimchee looks absolutely tasty…I love tons of mushroom unami! I prefer savory rice rather than sweet, too! How big are they? Please come to Oregon, Sprogs, I will devour everything you have! :)
chow says
Hannah – I imagine they would be quite handy if you happen to get the munchies during class. :-)
rika – I actually measured them but lost the scrap of paper that had the measurements. They’re not that big, about 2 1/2 inch tall or so.
Lovlie says
These are quite unique! Never heard of them before. Sometimes I want a savoury snack that aren’t chips, so these would be handy. I think I’d like the kale and kimchi flavour too! Just made homemade kimchi for the first time the other day. I been indulging so much on it that I had heartburn! lol
Joey says
I love onigiri (particularly seaweed ones), so I have a more than sneaking feeling that I would quite easily fancy one of these. I’m drawn to anything with kimchi in like you wouldn’t believe.
chow says
Lovlie – They’re not crunchy like chips but they certainly fit the bill when you’re feeling like a savory snack.
Joey – The kale kimchi is a popular flavor. :-)
Ching-Yee says
Hi there!
I’m the founder/owner of Sprogs and I was so delighted to see this post! Thanks a bunch for chatting us up. I’d love to share a discount code with all your pals.
Please use CHOWVEGAN to get 10% off all orders and delivery fees through January 31st on http://www.sprogsfresh.com
Thanks again and happy, healthy holidays!
Trey says
Hey just had this snack over the weekend and searched on the web to get more info and saw this article. I agree the Kale plus Kimchee combo is one of the better ones. Teriyaki chicken and Shiitake flavors ones are a close second.
chow says
Oh man, I love these things. Glad you got to try them, they’re such a great savory snack. :-)