Another Kind of Rice Ball

Honeybit · ‎07-17-2011

Your post about Arancini inspired me to go online and look for information about one of my all-time favorite culinary mysteries. Several years ago there was a restaurant in Atlanta called Yakitori Den-Chan that we loved. One of his specialties was a rice ball served from the grill. I always wondered HOW it was made and what kept it from falling apart on the grill. Eventually I figured out that the secret was sticky rice, but I had never thought of looking online for a recipe until I saw your rice ball post.

Dennis's balls were about the size of a baseball -- maybe even a softball. The pictures I found online are in a triangle shape. If anyone is curious, I searched on "Teppanyaki Grilled Rice Balls" for recipes and information. His didn't have a filling but they were served with a soy-based sauce.

There is a nice picture here: https://www.sushisushi.co.uk/blogs/japanese-recipes/teppanyaki-menu-for-your-barbecue

Yakionigiri

Yakionigiri is a firm favourite for teppanyaki and barbecues in Japan. It translates to ‘fried rice-ball.’ It’s simple but requires some preparation. Cook some short-grain sushi rice ahead of time in a rice cooker or boil in a pan, and then roll it into a ball, , wrap in Clingfilm. Add some sauce to it (soy sauce, tsuyu works great) and then fry on the teppanyaki plate until the outside is crispy and brown. For an added delight, try adding miso, butter or even tuna to the rice before rolling.

Thanks, GiantsLover, for inspiring me to finally look for details on this long-lost and fondly remembered restaurant treat! I've never heard of it -- or seen it -- anywhere else (until today). BTW, he also served grilled fish bones -- I won't necessarily be searching for that one.

Honeybit · ‎07-17-2011

If the link above is not allowed, look at www dot sushisushi dot co dot uk fwd-slash blogs fwd slash japanese dash recipes fwd-slash teppanyaki dash menu dash for dash your dash barbecue (what a mouthful!)

Or just do the search and look for the sushisushi link in the search results.