Rice Balls with Vegetables and Sesame

How to prepare rice balls with vegetables and sesame

1. Prepare the rice following the instructions here. Basically, prepare half a portion of sushi rice.
2. Cover the shiitake mushrooms with hot water. Place a plate over the bowl and let them rehydrate until needed.
3. Grate the carrot. Finely chop the broccoli, only the floret tips without cutting the stems.
4. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until lightly golden.
5. Grind the nori in a coffee grinder until it becomes almost powder.
6. Squeeze the water out of the mushrooms and chop them very finely.
8. Sauté the vegetables (carrot, mushrooms, broccoli) in a pan for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with pepper. Add the soy sauce and finely chopped green onion and stir. Remove the pan from heat. Taste the vegetables and add salt if needed (in case you used low-sodium soy sauce).
9. Add the vegetables to the prepared rice. Add half of the toasted sesame seeds, half of the ground nori sheet, and the sesame oil. Mix everything gently.
10. Shaping: place a piece of plastic wrap in a cup. Put 1 tablespoon of rice in the center of the wrap. Lift the edges of the wrap and squeeze the mixture in your fist to push out the air. Then twist the wrap at the end and shape it into a ball (see photos 3 and 4). Don't be too gentle - press firmly on the balls so they hold together well.
    * if you have plastic gloves, you can use them to form the balls directly in your hand
11. Leave the formed ball in the wrap for at least 30 seconds to set well. To be more efficient, I used two pieces of wrap: while filling and shaping one, the other was resting to set. Gently remove the ball from the wrap and if desired, dip one end in the remaining toasted sesame or nori powder.

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