The Skratch Umami recipe has been a big winner for me this Fall. It has just the right amount of energy to knock out a full 200K (Audax / Randonneur ride) using the guidance of replacing half your burned energy while doing an endurance-oriented ride. (This works well for me - YMMV) It lets me get to the finish with no fear of bonking and an earned appetite for post-ride beer and pizza! Also lets me get to the finish without eating gas station food.
The base recipe above goes into a 7" by 11" baking tray which then slices into nine servings. Each is just the right size to fit in my hands, top tube bag, frame bag, or jersey pocket when wrapped in foil / parchment. Nice to have this savory option vs. the usual sweet options.
I’ve recently decided to make umami rice cakes and followed a recipe from Skratch Labs. I usually eat something sweet during rides, and at first, these cakes didn’t look or smell very appealing. But I decided to give them a try, cut them into pieces, and take them on a ride.
To my surprise, I loved them even more than some sweet bars while riding. However, my hands ended up being oily, and I’d rather avoid using so much oil next time. Is there a specific reason the recipe calls for that much oil?
I reduced the amount of oil noted in the Skratch recipe and that seems to help… Maybe they add it to boost the calories? A pro rider needs three times the calories per hour that us mere mortals need. (I wish my FTP was 400+ and I could ride at an IF of 0.85 for hours and have this so called “under fueling problem”.)
Edit: Now that I think about it, the oiliness does make swallowing the rice cake bites on the road a lot easier than if I was eating plain rice at home.
