Hylian rice is a staple all throughout Hyrule, and so is this dish. Due to the larger areas of rice crop in Necluda, Lanayru, Akkala, and Central Hyrule, one may find this dish to be a little more prominent in eastern Hyrule, particularly in Kakariko Village, where it is most commonly found. It can also be found in Hateno Village and the eastern stables. Overall, though, this delicious, hearty combination of rice and meat is a filling meal and perfect for the traveler on the go.
“The sweet and spicy meat stuffed into these rice balls will keep you full for some time.”
To bring this dish to life, we will be filling the rice balls with a ground beef mixture, and the. Wrapping a slice of deli roast beef around the shaped rice ball. A Japanese style mayonnaise dip can also be made to dip the rice balls in. The recipe for the mayonnaise dip is included at the bottom of this recipe post.
These hearty rice balls are a filling meal. I’d happily enjoy these as a meal after an afternoon working the fields in Hateno.
Ingredients
3 cups Japanese short grain rice
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups Japanese short grain rice
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ lb ground beef
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
½ tbsp honey
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
2-3 green onions, sliced
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
2-3 green onions, sliced
½ lb deli style roast beef, thin sliced
1 tsp salt
Furikake or Sesame Seeds
Furikake or Sesame Seeds
Note: Depending on how well you want to match the color of the meat wrapping in the in-game photo, select your roast beef accordingly. Some deli sliced roast beef has a redder, more rare color and some has a browner, more well done color.
First, make 3 cups of rice according to the instructions in the package. (I use a rice cooker on “Quick Cook” setting, open the lid when it is finished for about 5 minutes to let it dry a bit, and then fluff with a rice paddle.)
Add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil to a pan on medium heat. Add in the ground beef, break it up evenly across the pan, and allow it to brown, stirring the meat around as needed. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Once it is fully browned, add the sake, mix, and allow to fully evaporate, 1-3 minutes. Then, add the mirin and tamari, mix, and allow the mirin to fully evaporate, about 1-2 minutes. Add the honey and crushed red pepper (1-2 tsp depending on heat preference), mix, allow to cook for one more minute and then toss in the green onion. Remove the ground beef from the heat and allow to cool a bit.
Pour your finished rice into a bowl and stir in one teaspoon of salt. You are now ready to assemble your rice balls! Make sure your hands stay wet through pretty much this entire process so you can mold the rice balls and keep the rice from sticking to your hands. Scoop ½ cup of rice into your hand and mold it into a ball. Push your thumb into the center and make a deep indentation. Add 2 tsp of the beef mixture into the whole and push it in with your fingers. Now gently push the rice to close the hole (you can also add a little bit more rice over the hole to help close it).
Once it is all closed up it’s time for the fun part. You want to mold the rice ball into a triangle with rounded corners. There are two ways to do this: by hand or by onigiri mold. To mold by hand, push the front and back to flatten it out, push the bottom against a cutting board and then push down on the sides at opposing angles. Lastly, push the front and back one more time to flatten more. This seems to do the trick for the most part. To use an onigiri mold, place the ball of rice into a ½ cup size onigiri mold, and then slowly press the lid firmly back into the mold. Press until you cannot press any further, and then remove the lid and gently pop out the rice ball.
Lastly, take a piece of roast beef, wrap it around the back and drape it down over the angles of the triangle rice ball. Tuck the flaps underneath and gently flatten the roast beef against the rice ball. If you are having trouble with it sticking you can rub some mayonnaise on the one side of the roast beef slice to make it stick. You may need to cut your roast beef slices in half if they are too large. If they are too short, you can first wrap a roast beef slice around the bottom, folding it up along the sides, and then wrap a second slice around the rice ball as described above. Once assembled, sprinkle some sesame seeds or furikake over the top. Repeat this process until you use up all of the rice. You should be able to make about 9 rice balls total. You can place them on lettuce leaves to serve.
Optional Mayonnaise Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp hondashi
Combine the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, mustard, sugar, and hondashi in a bowl and whisk well to fully blend the ingredients together. Serve a dollop of the dipping sauce on the plate or in a small dipping bowl alongside the rice balls.
Learn more about the Meaty Rice Balls dish from Breath of the Wild at Zelda Dungeon.