Name: Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: 1 small eggplant (100g); 80g ground pork; 330g cooked rice; 1 tsp potato starch; 1.5 tbsp miso; 2 tsp sake; 2 tsp mirin; 2 tsp sugar; Oil to taste (for pan-frying)

About "Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)"

These Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri) are made in just one pan. Diced eggplant absorbs the fat from ground pork, which is then mixed with rice and a sweet miso sauce, using potato starch as a binder to hold them together. The keys are shaping them so they don't fall apart and controlling the heat since miso burns easily. Freshly pan-fried to a fragrant crisp, they are absolutely delicious.

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Tips for Making "Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)"

Prep
- Dice the eggplant into 1cm cubes and soak in water for 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Be sure to squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly after draining.
Sauce
- Mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly beforehand to ensure the miso is completely dissolved and lump-free.
Heat control
- Stir-fry the eggplant in the rendered pork fat so it absorbs the savory flavor. Cook until the eggplant is tender.
Shaping
- Mix in potato starch and squeeze the rice balls a bit firmer than usual to prevent them from falling apart when grilled.
Grilling
- Miso burns easily. Grill over medium heat while carefully monitoring the color.

Ingredients for "Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)"

9 items

* Tap ingredient names to find on Amazon

1small eggplant (100g)
80gground pork
330gcooked rice
1tsp potato starch
1.5tbsp miso
2tsp sake
2tsp mirin
2tsp sugar
Oilto taste (for pan-frying)

How to Make "Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)"

1
Prepping the Eggplant
Cut off the stem of the eggplant and dice it into small 1cm cubes so it cooks quickly and evenly. Once cut, soak in water for 10 minutes to remove any bitterness.
Dicing finely shortens the cooking timeAfter soaking, drain in a colander and squeeze out excess moisture with your hands
2
Making the Sauce Mixture
In a small bowl, combine 1.5 tbsp miso, 2 tsp sake, 2 tsp mirin, and 2 tsp sugar. Mix well until the miso is completely dissolved and smooth with no lumps.
Mixing beforehand makes the cooking process smoother
3
Stir-Frying the Ground Pork
Place 80g of ground pork directly into a cold frying pan, then turn the heat to medium and stir-fry while breaking it up. Cook until it is no longer pink and has changed color. No oil is needed as we will use the fat rendered from the pork.
Do not add oil since enough fat will render from the ground porkIf using a pan that sticks easily, apply a thin layer of oil
4
Adding and Stir-Frying the Eggplant
Once the ground pork is cooked, add the drained eggplant. Stir-fry well so the eggplant absorbs the savory pork fat, and cook thoroughly until the eggplant becomes tender.
Let the eggplant fully absorb the rendered pork fatCook until the eggplant is completely tender
5
Adding the Sauce
Once the eggplant is fully cooked, pour in the prepared sauce mixture. Stir-fry thoroughly to distribute the flavor evenly, and cook until the moisture evaporates and the mixture is no longer sticky.
Ensure the flavor is evenly distributed throughout
6
Mixing in the Rice
Once the moisture has evaporated and the mixture comes together, add 330g of cooked rice directly to the pan. Using a rice paddle, mix with a cutting motion to avoid mashing the grains, blending thoroughly until no white rice remains.
Be careful not to mash the rice grainsMix until the rice is uniformly colored by the miso
7
Adding Potato Starch as a Binder
Once the rice is evenly colored, sprinkle 1 tsp of potato starch little by little to prevent clumping, and mix well. This potato starch acts as a binder to keep the rice balls from falling apart when grilled.
Sprinkle gradually to prevent clumpingSkip the potato starch if eating it simply as mixed rice
8
Shaping the Rice Balls
Turn off the heat and divide the rice into 5 equal portions. To prevent them from falling apart during grilling, the key is to squeeze them a bit firmer than usual, shaping them into tight triangles. Using a small bowl lined with plastic wrap makes this step easier.
Squeeze a bit firmer than usualApply firm pressure to prevent them from falling apart
9
Grilling the Rice Balls
Wipe the frying pan lightly, add a thin layer of oil, and heat over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, arrange the shaped rice balls in the pan. Since they contain miso, they burn easily; monitor the heat carefully. Once one side is golden brown, flip them over and grill the other side until beautifully browned and fragrant.
Watch the heat closely as miso burns easilyGrill until both sides are golden brown and crispy

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

Combining the inosinate in pork with the glutamate in miso creates a powerful umami synergy. Additionally, grilling the rice balls with miso, mirin, and sugar triggers the Maillard reaction and caramelization, enhancing their rich aroma and deep flavor. Finally, the potato starch helps lock in moisture from the ingredients, binding them seamlessly with the rice.

Umami CompoundsTemperature & Heat ReactionsMoisture Control

Detailed Commentary on "Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Savoring Seasonal Eggplant in Grilled Rice Balls

Hello everyone, I'm Katchan! Today, we're making Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls (Yaki Onigiri), which are incredibly easy to make in a single pan and guaranteed to be addictive. I love eggplant so much I could eat it all year round, but today we're using plenty of fresh, seasonal eggplant to create these savory, flavor-packed grilled rice balls. While rice balls are a classic, easy-to-eat meal, this recipe keeps it simple by just stir-frying the ingredients, mixing them with rice, and pan-frying them to fragrant perfection. Along with the cooking steps, I'll share some handy tips to make them extra delicious and ways to minimize cleanup, so please enjoy the video until the end. Let's get cooking!

Prepping Ingredients and Making the Miso Sauce

First, let's prepare the ingredients. For this recipe, we'll need 1 small eggplant (100g), 80g of ground pork, 330g of cooked rice (about 1 rice-cooker cup of raw rice), and 1 tsp of potato starch. Cut off the stem of the eggplant, then dice it into small 1cm cubes so it cooks quickly and evenly. Once cut, soak it in water for about 10 minutes to remove any bitterness. Meanwhile, let's prepare the sauce mixture that defines the flavor. In a small bowl, combine 1.5 tbsp of miso, 2 tsp of sake, 2 tsp of mirin, and 2 tsp of sugar. Mix well until the miso is completely dissolved and free of lumps. This sweet miso sauce coats the eggplant, pork, and rice beautifully, creating an irresistible flavor.

Stir-Frying to Let Eggplant Absorb the Flavor

Drain the soaking eggplant in a colander and gently press with your hands to squeeze out excess water. Next, place 80g of ground pork directly into a cold frying pan and turn the heat to medium, stir-frying while breaking it up. We aren't adding any oil here because the pork renders plenty of its own fat, but if you're using a pan that tends to stick, feel free to apply a thin layer of oil before heating. Once the pork is cooked through and no longer pink, add the drained eggplant. Stir-fry everything together well so the eggplant fully absorbs the delicious fat rendered from the pork. The key is to cook it thoroughly until the eggplant is completely tender and the savory pork flavor is fully integrated.

Tips for Mixing the Miso Sauce and Rice

Once the eggplant is fully cooked and tender, pour in all of the prepared sauce mixture. Stir-fry thoroughly to distribute the flavors evenly. When the moisture evaporates and the mixture starts to clump together without being sticky, add 330g of cooked rice directly into the frying pan. Using a rice paddle, mix with a cutting motion to avoid mashing the rice grains, blending until no white spots remain. Once the rice is a beautiful, uniform miso color, sprinkle in our secret ingredient: 1 tsp of potato starch, adding it gradually to prevent clumping, and mix well. This potato starch acts as a binder, keeping the rice balls from falling apart when we grill them later. By the way, if you prefer to eat this simply as mixed rice without grilling, you can skip the potato starch entirely.

Shaping to Prevent Cracking and Grilling

Once everything is well mixed, turn off the heat and move on to shaping the rice balls. We'll divide the rice into 5 portions. Place a portion into a small bowl lined with plastic wrap, and squeeze it a bit firmer than usual, pressing firmly to shape it into a tight triangle so it won't fall apart during grilling. Once all the rice balls are shaped, lightly wipe the frying pan, add a thin layer of oil, and heat over medium heat. When the pan is hot, arrange the rice balls inside. Since they contain miso, they burn easily, so monitor the heat closely. Once one side is beautifully golden brown, flip them over and grill the other side until it's just as crispy and fragrant. Once both sides are perfectly grilled, plate them up, and your Eggplant Miso Grilled Rice Balls are ready!

Tasting the Flavor-Packed Grilled Rice Balls

Now, let's pour a warm cup of barley tea and dig in while they're fresh! Taking a bite, the juicy flavor of the ground pork and the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the eggplant—which has absorbed all those savory juices—spread through your mouth. It's absolutely delicious. The sweet miso flavor has soaked into every single grain of rice, and pan-frying them has brought out a wonderful, smoky aroma that makes you want to keep eating. Dicing the eggplant finely allowed it to cook through quickly, resulting in a wonderfully tender texture. Also, mixing in a little potato starch before shaping worked perfectly—the rice balls held their shape beautifully without falling apart when flipped. Since this is a one-pan recipe, there's very little cleanup, making it an easy way to enjoy deluxe grilled rice balls. I highly recommend giving this recipe a try!

About kattyanneru/かっちゃんねる

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