Grilled rice balls with vegetable miso

Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain rice
• 2 tsp warishita stock concentrate (see below)
• 3/4 oz. (20g) vegetable miso (see below)
• Japanese pickles (optional)

makes 2 balls

Directions

If the rice is cold, steam or microwave until hot. Mix with the warishita concentrate (see below) and cool enough to handle. Make sure your hands are washed clean and damp so the rice will not stick.
Put 1/2 of the rice on one palm. With both hands, make a triangle-shaped rice ball about 1 1/2 inch (3.5 cm) thick. Repeat to make a second rice ball.
Grill the rice balls over a medium flame until golden brown, then turn over. Spread the vegetable miso (see below) on the browned surface. When the other side is well grilled, remove from the flame and lightly scorch the miso with a kitchen torch.
If using broiler, you can brown the surface of miso without a torch, but be careful not to let it burn. Serve with Japanese pickles, if desired.

Warishita Stock Concentrate

makes about 1 quart

• A
• 1 cup (240ml) soy sauce
• 3 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 1 3/4 oz (50g) crystal sugar

• B
• 1 3/4 quart (1750ml) dashi stock
• 1 dried shiitake mushroom
• 1 piece dried kombu kelp, 2 inch (5cm) square
• 1/2 oz (14g) bonito flakes (katsuo kezuri-bushi)

Combine A in a jar or bowl, seal and refrigerate for 10 days. After 10 days, mix with B in a pot and simmer over low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 1 hour. Strain through cheesecloth and let cool.

Vegetable Miso

• 1 tsp garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• A
• 1/2 lb (230g) white miso
• 2 tsp Chinese chili bean paste
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
• 1 1/2 tbsp sake
• 2 tsp granulated sugar

• B (All ingredients finely minced:)
• 1 fresh shiitake mushroom, stemmed
• 1/8 small green bell pepper or 1/4 Japanese piman pepper
• 2 shiso leaves
• 1/8 small onion
• 1/8 medium carrot
• 1/4 tsp minced nira garlic chives
• 1 tsp minced white part of a scallion or naganegi white scallion

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick saute pan and saute ginger and garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Add A and stir well with a wooden spatula. Add B and lower the heat. Mix until vegetables are softened, removed from heat and let cool at room termperature. Store in a refrigerator in an air-tight container.