Rice Balls. Maybe you've seen this type of dish on Japanese food menus, in minimalist bento boxes. To be honest, the menu I am serving this time is also inspired by Japanese food.
I've always been amazed by Japanese food. Especially those served using bento boxes contain a lot of art in them. How to make food beautiful, not just taste good.
The reason why I make rice balls is also because they are easy to eat with one bite. This menu is also suitable for lunch or breakfast on the go.
Not just ordinary rice balls. We can make many delicious variations. The variation that is most popular in my house is rice balls with seaweed flavor also with chili flakes.
Seasoning in the form of seaweed mixed with chili flakes and a little salt is also easily found in packaged form. I do stock this seasoning stock to mix many dishes. This seasoning can increase the savory and spicy taste of the rice. So, it will be a great dish with just simple seasoning ingredients. Very helpful for those of us who are busy with activities and only have a little time to prepare a daily food menu.
My recipe this time also uses vegetables that I harvested in the garden some time ago. I will cook green pumpkin which is still available in my kitchen.
A big young pumpkin. Suitable for cooking in stir-frying way with other veggies. Similar to a vegetable salad dish. It's just that, I use chili oil to add a comfortable taste that suits my taste buds.
When a big young pumpkin is cut open, we can see the seed cavities which are still not old enough. Looks like it has a lot of free space. Different from the seeds from old pumpkins which I previously shared on my blog too.
Young Pumpkin Vs Old Pumpkin
Young Pumpkin still has green color on its skin. However, the texture of the outer skin is still not as hard as old pumpkin skin.
For texture, the inside flesh when cooked will be crunchy on the young pumpkin. Meanwhile, old pumpkin will have a soft and tender texture when cooked.
So, young pumpkin is suitable to be served like other crunchy vegetables. In my opinion, the texture of young pumpkin that has been stir-fried will be similar to chayote but has a more crunchy texture.
Chili is our daily seasoning here. It feels like something is missing if we don't use chilies in our cooking.
I also use a lot of red chili and green chili which will then be mixed with onion and red onion to make a fragrant chili oil. Also, spicy. It will go well with crunchy stir fry vegetables.
SLICE YOUNG PUMPKIN
Remove pumpkin skin and slice into lengthwise pieces. Use only 2-3 handfuls of young pumpkin or according to your needs.
SLICE CHILLIES
Slice red and green chillies thinly. I like the shape of the slices like this which makes the chili seeds come out maximally for a strong spicy taste. Also, slice red onion and garlic.
STIR-FRY ONION AND CHILI
Heat the oil. I'm using sunflower oil. I think this oil has greater fragrance than palm oil and for sure cheaper than olive oil in my area. 馃槄
Then, add slices of red onion and garlic first. Stir them briefly then add slices of red and green chillies.
COOK YOUNG PUMPKIN
Add young pumpkin when the slices of chillies look wilted and don't have a strong spicy aroma. Then, add slices of young pumpkin, also chopped tomatoes.
Keep stirring them and cook for about 5 minutes. Avoid adding water because it will make the young pumpkin soft. Don't forget to add salt.
ADD EDAMAME AND CUCUMBER
Before removing, add boiled edamame and chopped cucumber. Stir them for a while. Remove then set aside.
MAKE RICE BALLS
Mix cooked rice with seaweed seasoning. Stir well. Then shape into balls.
Make sure your hands are wearing gloves smeared with a little oil so that the rice doesn't get sticky, also makes it easier for us to shape the rice into balls.
Serve rice balls with stir-fried young pumpkin. A fun fact, we can also serve rice balls as filling snacks.
My husband likes to take rice balls on his trips in a bento box when he goes to work.
Rice Balls with seaweed seasoning are complete with a savory and spicy taste. Just perfect as an alternative to serving plain rice in a fun way.
馃巸馃巸馃巸 SEE YOU, VEGGIE LOVERS! 鉂わ笍
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
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