Hylian rice is cultivated in the eastern regions of Hyrule. Traveling through Necluda, one can find rice fields spanning the farmlands around Hateno Village and Kakariko Village. As an indigenous staple crop of the eastern region, it is used to make a number of recipes. One of these recipes is a signature dish of Kakariko Village, the rice ball.
Though vegetable rice balls are the popular choice in the village, they can be filled with a number of different ingredients. Meaty rice balls are particularly popular with travelers for their hearty and filling nature. These rice balls contain a minced meat filling and are wrapped in thin pieces of meat.
“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 fill the rice balls with a seasoned ground beef mixture, then wrap the shaped rice balls in thin slices of ribeye. The filling is enhanced with tamari, mirin, honey, crushed red pepper, and green onion, creating a balance of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors. The ribeye is wrapped around the rice balls raw, then baked until browned and brushed with additional tamari. A Japanese-style mayonnaise dipping sauce can also be made to accompany the rice balls.
The combination of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors in the beef, the satisfying texture of the rice, and the creaminess of the dipping sauce makes for a delicious and hearty meal. I’d happily enjoy these after an afternoon working the fields in Hateno, or as a traveler passing through Hyrule.
Ingredients
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 2 tsp 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.
3 cups Japanese short grain rice
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
⅓ lb ground beef
1 ½ tbsp sake
1 ½ tbsp mirin
2 tbsp + 2 tsp tamari soy sauce, divided
1 tsp honey
½ - 1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 green onions, sliced
¾ lb thinly sliced ribeye
Vegetable or olive oil
Furikake or Sesame Seeds
Salt
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil
⅓ lb ground beef
1 ½ tbsp sake
1 ½ tbsp mirin
2 tbsp + 2 tsp tamari soy sauce, divided
1 tsp honey
½ - 1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 green onions, sliced
¾ lb thinly sliced ribeye
Vegetable or olive oil
Furikake or Sesame Seeds
Salt
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 2 tsp 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 1/2 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 hole 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 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 about ½ cup of rice into your hand and mold it into a ball.
Now, 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.
Repeat this process until you have made all of the rice balls. You should end up with about 9-10 rice balls in total.
Lastly, take a piece of the thinly sliced ribeye, and 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 ribeye against the rice ball. You may need more than one slice of ribeye per rice ball if they are smaller pieces.
Once the rice balls are wrapped with the thin sliced ribeye, place them on a tray in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to firm them up.
Remove them from the refrigerator, brush the ribeye with vegetable oil or olive oil. Cook the rice balls either in an Air fryer on convection bake for approximately 6-8 minutes at 375°F, or in a standard oven at 400°F for approximately 8 to 12 minutes. Allow the rice balls to bake until the ribeye browns. Once browned, remove them from the oven.
Add 2 tbsp of tamari to a small bowl and brush the ribeye with the tamari. Sprinkle some furikake over the top of each h of the rice balls. They are ready to eat. Enjoy!
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.