Description
Korean Rice Balls are a delicious and easy-to-make snack or meal option, featuring sticky rice filled with flavorful fillings like tuna mayo or bulgogi.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups cooked rice (short or medium-grain, warmed)
- ⅓ cup seaweed seasoning
- 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ small carrot (finely diced, optional)
- For Tuna Mayo Filling:
- 5 oz canned tuna (drained)
- 1½ Tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
- salt & pepper to taste
- For Bulgogi Filling:
- 1 cup ground beef bulgogi
Instructions
- Make the filling: For the tuna mayo filling, add the canned tuna and Japanese mayonnaise to a small bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Season the rice: Sauté the finely diced carrots with a bit of oil until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and toasted sesame oil to the warm rice and mix together.
- Add filling and shape rice balls: Take 2 tablespoons of rice and gently flatten it against your hand. Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center and top it with a bit of rice. Gently but firmly shape the rice into a ball while encasing the filling. Tip: Apply a bit of vegetable oil to food-safe gloves for easy handling.
- Seaweed seasoning: Roll each rice ball in seaweed seasoning. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Short or medium-grain rice is recommended as rice balls require sticky rice, such as sushi rice, to hold their shape. Long-grain rice such as Jasmine rice isn’t sticky enough.
- Keep a ratio of 2.5 tablespoons of rice per 1 tablespoon of filling.
- Use warm rice for best results, as cold rice doesn’t stick together well. Reheat leftover cold or frozen rice until it’s soft and sticky.
- You can make them ahead up to 2 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, microwave for 20 seconds at a time while covered with a damp paper towel.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: Korean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 rice ball
- Calories: 311
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 155mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 13g
- Cholesterol: 20mg