Rice is unquestionably Hawaii’s starch staple, the perfect accompaniment to whatever may be on the plate. Steamed, boiled and fried rice are standard fare; rice noodles and wrappers are common. Rice cakes such as Japanese mochi and Filipino bibingka are sweet treats we love for snacks.

But except for Japanese mochi in soup, traditionally eaten to celebrate the New Year, rice cakes are rarely served as savory fare.

I’ve discovered that rice cakes can take the place of pasta or rice in a sauteed or stir-fried dish. When cooked in boiling water for just a few minutes, slices of rice cake become soft, chewy and a little gooey with very little taste, making them ideal for absorbing the flavors of a dish. For people on gluten-free diets, rice cakes could be a replacement for wheat-based pasta.

Rice cakes are made of glutinous rice, a sticky variety also referred to as sweet rice or mochi rice. The rice is steamed, then mashed and pounded into a smooth mass. Japanese form small round discs called mochi; Koreans form cylinders or logs, about 1 inch in diameter and about 8 inches long.

The Korean rice cake, garaettok or hin ttok, is dense and smooth with a chewy texture that holds up well in a stir-fried dish. The cylindrical cake is always sliced on the diagonal and traditionally served in ttok guk, the Korean rice cake soup.

Visit any Korean supermarket and you’ll find packages of freshly made ttok, about 2 pounds, or eight pieces. One piece would be sufficient for a serving, about a cup after slicing. You could slice the fresh cakes and keep them handy in the freezer.

In the freezer case there will be packages of pre-sliced ttok, ready to cook and serve. Boil water and immerse the pieces for a few minutes, straight from the freezer.

Remove with a slotted spoon and serve in soup or add to a stir-fry.

Imagine beef broccoli, shrimp and vegetables, pork and string beans, chicken and bok choy — each stir-fried with rice cakes. No rice cooker required.

Rice cakes are even adaptable to a pasta dish. Just be sure to serve this one-bowl meal hot from the pan, since rice cakes become firm when cold.