Sushi rice balls

Sushi rice balls

This side dish is based on one of the earliest elements of Southeast

Asian cuisine: simple, hand shaped sushi rice balls, which are eaten

with the fingers, with or without first being dipped in soy sauce. 

To spice up the taste of the rice, you can sprinkle them with green shiso

leaves, furikake, toasted sesame seeds,or finely chopped umeboshi plums. 

Another possibility is to wrap a salted green shiso leaf around the rice ball. As sushi rice balls can be eaten either warm or cold, they are super in a bag lunch. They can also be turned into onigiri by wrapping them

in a piece of nori. Because it absorbs moisture, the seaweed should

be wrapped around the rice ball only just before it is to be eaten.

Rice balls (temari) wrapped in salted green shiso leaves.

Rice balls wrapped in shiso
leaves.Soak salted, green shiso leaves (ao-jiso) in water, dry them, and lay them out on individual
pieces of plastic wrap. Place a rice ball of suitable size on each leaf and then wrap the shiso tightly around the rice ball by bringing the corners of the plastic wrap together and giving them a twist. Remove the wrap carefully and serve the rice balls with the leaf side up.

Rice balls with thinly sliced green shiso

Rice balls with green shiso.

Hand shape balls about 3-4 cm (1½

inches) in diameter from sushi rice.

Cut green shiso leaves into very thin strips and sprinkle them on top. The rice balls can be served

either warm or cold arranged in a rowon a narrow platter. If the rice balls are very warm, the shiso leaves should be sprinkled on just as they are to be eaten,otherwise the fresh shiso will turn brown

and look unattractive.