Japanese grilling isn’t only about kung fu and grilled meat. No, no. There’s so much more to it than that: there are also balls.
Apparently, grilled rice balls (also known as onigiri) should have exactly 258 grains of rice in ‘em. Since we don’t want to stress you out, and because we are generally quite lazy, we’re going to suggest you are a little more liberal with your balls. Don’t worry about the exact grain count, just do what feels right. Also, follow the recipe, below. It’s pretty easy, and it’s really tasty. Lastly, spicy balls are better than plain ones, so be liberal with the sriracha.
Japanese Grilled Rice Balls
Makes 8-10 rice balls
Ingredients:
1 cup sushi rice
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon oil (avocado oil works great!)
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sriracha sauce
¼ teaspoon tamari sauce (or soya. Whatever.)
Instructions:
Step 1: Assemble your ingredients and preheat grill to medium heat.
Step 2: Cook the rice according to package directions. Or cook it however you want. Go ahead, be a rebel. See if we care. Actually, we do care. Don’t be an idiot. If you want this to work, do what the package tells you to do. Let the rice cool down enough that you can handle it. You don’t want rice burns, do you? Add the sesame seeds and stir.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk the oils, sriracha, and tamari or soya sauce together.
Step 4: Scoop walnut-sized balls of rice (if you use a little ice-cream scoop it’s easier. If you don’t have one, put a little elbow grease into it and use a regular spoon.) out, and wet your hands.
Step 5: Press the rice into tight balls. Your hands need to be wet or the rice will stick to you, and you need to really squish those balls or else they’ll fall apart on the grill. No one wants a broken ball.
Step 6: Brush the balls with the spicy sriracha mixture. Mmmm… spicy balls.
Step 7: When all balls are covered in the sauce, throw ‘em on the preheated grill.
Step 8: After a few minutes, rotate the balls, just so they’re nice and crispy all over. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so, rotating every now and then.
Step 9: When the balls are all crispy, remove them from the grill, being careful not to squish them with your tongs.
Step 10: Serve balls with a side of sriracha!
