Japanese rice balls are all about contrast. The idea is that the crisp nori makes a perfect contrast against the soft, tender rice. Eating too slow can lead to papery, wet nori, which for some, will ruin the entire experience. The question is, how do you package this snack to be sold at a convenience store without letting the nori go soft? More
Jumuk-Bap View the complete recipe here » What do seaweed, pears, and ground beef have in common? They all belong in Jumuk-bap, a Korean rice ball snack I learned how to make from a former Korean housemate. Jumuk means fist in Korean, which is a fair description of how compressed the rice becomes as you shape it into a ball. I'd always been more familiar with the Japanese version, onigiri, in which fillings like umeboshi (pickled plum) or salmon are tucked into the interior of a rice ball, which is then wrapped into a sheet of seaweed. For Jumuk-bap, all the components are mixed together with the rice before being shaped into balls. The secret ingredient in the ground... More
