Icysnowgirl
I wonder if your rice ball is like our 'dok'. It is like a rice cake kinda thing, only not sweet, it is more like a bready type thing. And the insides can have different stuff.
whee I never was fond of most of them but recently I will have a bit of the sweet red bean paste ones.
Mm. I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Are dok made with rice cakes like mochi cakes, or are they made with rice grains?
Rice balls are made with rice grains. Let me give you a recipe:
Onigiri (Rice Balls in Crisp Nori)Makes 6 rice balls
2 1/4 c (or 3 rice-cooker cups) white short-grained Japanese rice, such as CalRose
3 or 6 nori sheets
For filling:
smoked salmon or
bonito flakes or
tsukemono (Japanese pickled vegetables) or
umeboshi (Japanese pickled "plums" -- they're technically apricots)
and
black sesame seeds
Equipment:
Heavy pot with lid
Teacup
Rinse and drain rice. Soak rice in 2 2/3 c. + 2 tsp. water for 1/2 an hour (I usually skip the waiting and go straight to the cooking. It turns out fine).
Place water and rice mixture in a heavy-bottomed pot, deeper than it is wide. Put the pot over medium heat. Cook the rice uncovered until the water level is decreased almost to the level of the rice. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot with a heavy lid, and continue cooking until the water is absorbed and the rice grains are plump. The approximate cooking time is 10-15 minutes uncovered and 10-15 minutes covered.
Remove the cooked rice from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, finely chop salmon, umeboshi, and tsukemono, if using. Combine black sesame seeds and salmon. Toast the nori by gently passing the shiny side over a flame. It will become crisp and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the nori. Prepare a small bowl of lightly salted water (I usually omit the salt). You'll use this to keep your hands clean and non-sticky.
As soon as the rice is ready (it should be hot), divide it into thirds, and put one-quarter of the rice from that portion into a teacup. Press the rice in the center to make a deep depression. Tuck desired filling into the center, and cover with another one-quarter portion of rice, packing gently but firmly.
Moisten your hands with the salted water, and tap the teacup-shaped rice ball out into your hands. Gently squeeze and form it to make a ball, a triangle, or a barrel. Wrap the rice ball with half a sheet of nori. Then, if you like, cover it completely with a second half-sheet.
Make six rice balls this way, filling them with whatever filling you desire. Alternatively, for a messier but equally tasty rice ball, shape the rice without the filling, and top the shaped rice with the filling, then wrap in nori.
Quick, easy, and delicious.
Reply
