Recipe

Rice Buns with Cheese and Chives

Name: Rice Buns with Cheese and Chives
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 180 g cooked white rice, cold and loose; 180 g all-purpose wheat flour; 8 g baking powder (about 2 level teaspoons); ½ teaspoon fine salt (about 3 g); 2 medium eggs, at room temperature; 160 ml whole milk, plus 1 or 2 tablespoons if needed; 50 g melted and lukewarm butter; 70 g grated semi-cured cheese; 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives; 10 g soft butter; 1 tablespoon wheat flour

Baked savory rolls with cooked white rice, semi-cured cheese, and chives. Quick dough without yeast, ready in under an hour.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

Image generated with AI.CiberCuba

Preparation15 min
Cooking20 min
Total time50 min
Servings12 rolls
DifficultyEasy

These savory rolls are an adaptation of the Rice Rolls collected by Nitza Villapol and Martha Martínez in Cocina al minuto (1956), a cookbook that taught many Cuban families to cook with what they had at home. We start from that idea and develop it our own way, with current measurements, semi-cured cheese, and chives.

It is a quick dough, without yeast or fermentation. Baking powder does the work. The already cooked white rice stays whole within the crumb, giving it a tender texture and slightly moist. Additionally, it is an excellent way to use up leftover rice from lunch, as long as you have stored it properly in the refrigerator.

They turn out well for afternoon snacks, to accompany a soup or broth, or to place on the table as an appetizer with a little butter.

Method

Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200 °C (400 °F). Grease the 12 cavities of a metal muffin tin (about 100 ml each) with soft butter. Sprinkle with flour and shake the mold upside down to remove the excess.
Put the cold rice in a bowl and separate the grains with your fingers or a fork, breaking up any clumps. Do not crush it. Grate the cheese, set aside 15 g for the surface, and finely chop the chives.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk until everything is well distributed.
In another bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Add the melted butter, already cooled so it does not curdle the egg, and beat until integrated.
Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula only until you no longer see dry flour. If some small lumps remain, it is fine. Over-beating hardens the rolls.
Add the rice, cheese (except what you set aside), and chives. Incorporate them with folding motions. The dough must be thick and fall from the spoon in heavy portions. If it is stiff and dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Distribute all the dough equally into the 12 cavities with two spoons, about 70 g in each, filling them between two-thirds and three-quarters. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Bake immediately, without letting the dough rest, for between 18 and 22 minutes. If your oven heats unevenly, rotate the mold halfway through cooking. They are ready when the surface is lightly golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with dry crumbs, not wet dough.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba
Let the rolls rest 5 minutes in the mold. Run a table knife along the edge to unmold them and place them on a rack. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Image generated with AI.CiberCuba

Tips and variations

Documentary source: Rice rolls, Cocina al minuto (1956), by Nitza Villapol and Martha Martínez. The quantities, cheese, chives, and method in this entry are our adaptation.

The rice, with care. Use white rice that has cooled shortly after cooking (within an hour) and has been stored covered in the refrigerator. Ideally, use it within 24 hours. Do not use rice that has been left out of the refrigerator overnight: reheating or baking it does not make it safe. If the rice was already salted, reduce the dough salt to ¼ teaspoon.

Do not grind it. Simply separate the grains with your fingers. If you pass it through a blender, it turns into a gummy paste and the crumb becomes heavy.

Dough texture. It must be thick and fall from the spoon in heavy portions, never run like a shake. Rices and flours absorb differently, so add extra milk only if the dough is stiff and dry.

Substitutions:

- Milk: you can use evaporated milk diluted equally with water, in the same amount. The crumb comes out slightly richer, without major changes.
- Cheese: any semi-cured cheese that melts well and can be grated, such as gouda or yellow cheese, works in the same amount. Fresh cheese is not equivalent: it releases more moisture, melts differently, and can leave the center pasty.
- Chives: the green part of scallions, chopped very finely, is the closest match. Its flavor is slightly stronger.
- Butter: you can try 45 ml of neutral oil. The flavor changes and the crumb becomes moister, so it is not an identical result.
- Flour: this version needs wheat flour. Do not replace it with rice flour or gluten-free blends expecting the same result.

Storage. They are at their best on the same day, warm or at room temperature. If there are leftovers, store them in a closed container in the refrigerator as soon as they cool and eat them within 2 days. Reheat them for a few minutes in the oven or in a toaster oven.