紫米饭团 Taiwan Rice Balls
Classic Chinese rice balls hails from Shanghai（糯米 sweet rice +榨菜 Sichuan pickles +肉松 dried cooked pork +油条 fried dough, sometimes wrapped in seaweed）and a family favorite whenever we visited China. I am always a bit reluctant to make it at home because the ingredients are harder to replicate, especially fried dough, and making the rice balls can be quite unwieldy given the amount of stuffing rolled inside the rice ball.
Recently, I have watched a number of Youtube videos of Taiwanese version of the purple rice balls which seem quite hardy and easier to put together. I am also glad to have found black sweet rice grown in Taiwan on Wee. Rave reviews from the whole family. I have to make a second batch right away.
Ingredients:
Black sweet rice, 200 grams
Sweet rice, 50 grams
Fried dough crullers (frozen store bought), toasted
Dried cooked pork (肉松）
Vegetables (cucumber, carrots, cherry tomato, avocado)
Pickles (assorted)
Fried egg (溏心）
Instructions
Rinse and soak rice overnight
Drain rice (save soaked water), add no more than 260g of purple water, and cook in rice cooker using sweet rice mode
Slice all vegetables and pickles, and prepare other stuffings. You can add other proteins such as sautéed shrimp and chicken etc.
Lay out large saran wrap, use 1/3 rice at bottom layer, then add rest of ingredients, top with Kewpi mayo
Lift and gather 4 corners of wrap and twist to form ball. Rice will spread to the top.
Tips: (1) Add a bit of rice to the top of the rice ball to “seal” of the inside; (2) the amount of water used to cook soaked rice appears to be critical for the desirable texture (a bit chewy)—I cooked with 270g of water and the rice turned out too mushy and soft; (3) make sure there is enough salt and seasoning and go heavier on the mayo if necessary
