ONIGIRI RICE BALL RECIPES

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot, pour in uncooked rice and cook for 2 minutes. Add saffron, if using and pour in wine until wine evaporates. Begin stirring in boiling water until rice is tender. Cook rice uncovered. Add salt and pepper, to taste. When rice is cooked take off heat, mix in cheese and 2 eggs. Place in refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours or overnight. Rice must be chilled.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat add oil, saute onions and the chopped garlic for 2 minutes, add in the beef and pork, and brown. Remove excess grease. Add in basil, tomato paste, tomato sauce , water, and sugar until it all becomes thick in texture. Add peas while still warm, take off heat and set aside. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Take 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture, place in hand and form a small cup.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon of the meat mixture to center of the rice cup, add 1 teaspoon of the rice over the meat mixture and roll in a ball. Roll the rice ball in the remaining eggs and then roll that into the bread crumbs. Heat vegetable oil to 360 degrees F. Deep-fry rice balls until browned, place on a paper towel lined plate or dish.
• Before serving garnish with cheese and/or the extra sauce.

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a small food processor, add sugar, sesame or peanuts, and salt and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add in oil and water and continue blending until fully combined and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop and portion chilled filling into 24 balls, about ½ tablespoon each. Transfer to a plate and freeze until completely hardened, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, make dough: In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour and salt. Drizzle in condensed milk and boiling water, then stir to evenly distribute. Drizzle in room-temperature water and stir until fully combined. Knead until dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. On a clean surface lightly dusted with more rice flour, roll dough out into a long rope. Cut rope into 24 equal pieces, then flatten each piece into a 2”-wide round. Place a ball of filling in the middle of each round, then gently guide and coax the wrapper to fully seal the filling inside the dough. In a medium pot of boiling water over medium-low heat, add tang yuan in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Boil until the tang yuan floats, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Continue cooking for 1 minute more, then transfer to a bowl to serve. Serve tang yuan hot, with a few ladles of cooking broth in each bowl.