Prepare Your Rice Balls Station:

• Have your rice near you with a rice paddle handy. Set up a big bowl for mixing rice with the fillings with a mixing spoon or spatula, small bowls of the fillings, and gloves.

  Have a platter nearby for the finished rice balls.

  Have the bowl with prepared filling(s) ready to go.
  3 cups Cooked medium-grain rice
• Make the seasoning sauce by combining soy sauce, mirin, honey, sea salt, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  1 tbsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tsp honey, Salt to taste

Season the Rice and Add Filling:

• Scoop the rice in small batches to make about 3-5 rice balls into the big bowl.

  Add the seasoning sauce to the rice. Drizzle lightly with your desired amount of sauce. Not too much so the rice is tasty, but not wet.
  
• Choose your preferred filling(s). Add almost the same amount of your filling to the rice mixture and gently mix.

  When mixing, gently fold to combine without smashing the grains.

  Keep mixing the rice with the filling until the rice is coated, evenly colored, and everything is incorporated.

Shape the Rice Balls:

• Lightly oil your hands or wear gloves. Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of the rice balls mixture, press gently closing your fist, and shape into a ball.

  Repeat until all rice is used.
  

Finish & Serve:

• Roll finished rice balls in crushed seaweed or sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately or pack for lunch/snacks.
  

SIX Filling Ideas and Preparation Instructions

Tuna Kimchi Filling

• Drain 1 can of tuna very well.

  Finely chop kimchi and add a little kimchi juice.

  MIx well.

  Add this to lightly seasoned rice so the kimchi flavor stands out.
  Korean canned tuna spicy, Kimchi chopped finely
  

Spam Filling

• Dice Spam into very tiny cubes. Pan-fry until golden and crisp, then cool slightly.
  Small diced Spam pan seared till lightly crispy on sides
• Whisk two eggs and soft-scramble in a lightly oiled pan until just set. Season with salt. Cool slightly.

  Chop the eggs up and then mix with the spam.

  Add this filling to lightly seasoned rice so it doesn't become too salty.

  For a lighter rice base, you can also just add a pinch of salt and mirin to the rice and then add this filling.
  Lightly scrambled egg
  

Pollack Roe with Light Spicy Mayo

• Combine pollack roe (mentaiko or myeongran jeot) with 1–2 teaspoons spicy mayo. (quick spicy mayo: sriracha, mayo, rice vinegar)

  Add finely chopped scallions.

  Mix gently to keep the roe texture intact.
  Pollack Roe, green onion, Sriracha, Mayonnaise, Rice Vinegar, Seaweed
  

Beef Bulgogi

• Thinly slice beef and marinate in bulgogi sauce (soy sauce, sugar, garlic, water, pepper, sake, hondashi, sesame oil), or puchase marinated beef bulgogi at the Korean market (makes this easy).

  Stir-fry until cooked through, then chop finely into morsels for easier mixing.
  Beef bulgogi
  

Spicy Pork

• Marinate thinly sliced pork (chili pepper paste, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, pear juice, onion, red pepper powder, and a little sesame oil), or buy pre-marinated spicy pork at the Korean market (much easier).
  Korean Spicy Pork
  
• Cook fully, searing and caramelizing slightly, then chop finely into tiny morsels so it blends into the rice.

Vegan Mushroom + Korean Spinach

• Sauté finely chopped Shiitake mushrooms in an oiled pan with salt and a drizzle of the seasoning sauce until browned.
  Shiitake mushroom
• Make quick Korean spinach by blanching spinach, squeezing out water by hand, then hand-slicing into fine pieces.

  Mix the mushrooms and spinach together. Add to the rice. Add a little more seasoning sauce, roll, and serve.
  Korean Spinach