Rice Balls

Rice balls are a fast snack, and there’s almost nothing to them: cooked short-grain rice, gently pressed together, sometimes stuffed with a piece of food, sometimes wrapped with nori, sometimes both, and sometimes neither. They can also be grilled after shaping, which is a nice touch. Serve these as a side dish with any Japanese dish.

Salt

1 recipe White Rice or Brown Rice
, made with short-grain or sushi rice, about 4 cups, still warm

Lightly salted cucumber chunks and/or pieces of daikon (optional)

Soy sauce

4 square sheets nori, lightly toasted

• Work with wet hands; sprinkle a little salt on your hands, then grab about 1/2 cup rice and gently shape it into a ball; the rice should hold together easily. If you want to stuff the rice balls, poke a hole in each and put in a bit of either of the vegetables (or any other filling you like). Reclose the hole.
• Brush each ball lightly with soy sauce.
• Brush the rough side of each nori sheet with a little soy sauce, then cut each sheet in half (done most easily with scissors). Wrap each ball with a piece of nori, shiny side out. Serve within a few hours.

MAKES: 4 to 8 servings

TIME: 30 minutes