The cherry blossom tree comes into bloom once a year every spring. Cherry blossom flowers have a beautiful pink colour, are highly fragrant and best of all are edible!
I love making these sweet rice balls. They are easy on the stomach and look so pretty too! I decorated these rice balls with edible cherry blossom flowers which have been dried, salt pickled and ground into a fine powder.
The great thing about rice balls is that you can make each one taste a little bit different. I added sweetened red adzuki beans and strawberry jam (both homemade) inside.
If you decide to give this recipe a go, please share your thoughts, pictures and recipe tweaks. Good luck!
Notes before we get cooking!
FODMAP red, amber green rating reflects the total amount of Fructose (FTS), Lactose (L), Mannitol (M), Sorbitol (S), Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and Oligos Fructans (FTA) in the TOTAL volume/weight of the ingredients used in the recipe.
This recipe makes approximately 10 big rice balls (3 big and 4 small balls pictured).
I'm a big fan of simple recipes that don't need fancy equipment. For this recipe it does help to have a heavy bottomed saucepan to cook the rice.
Ingredients:
Method
Step 1.
Place the rice in a pan and rinse well (at least 3 times).
Step 2.
Add enough water to just cover the rice (3 cm above). Salt to taste.
Step 3.
Cook on a medium heat until all of the water is evaporated.
Step 4.
In a separate bowl, add mix the vinegar and sugar together. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. If using a big grain sugar, you can heat gently to dissolve the sugar.
Step 5.
Taste the vinegar-sugar mixture. It should have a pleasant, balanced taste. if its too sweet or too sharp for your taste, adjust with either sugar or vinegar 1 tsp at a time.
Step 6.
When you are happy with the taste of the vinegar sugar mix, add half to the rice and stir well.
Step 7.
The rice should become slightly sticky. Add more of the vinegar-sugar mixture to achieve the desired consistency if required.
Step 8.
With wet hands, gather small portions of rice and roll into balls.
Step 9.
If you wish to add a filling, squash the ball in the palm of your hand into a disk shape. place 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre, then carefully cover in rice and roll up again into a ball shape.
Step 10.
At this point you can set the rice balls aside refrigerate the balls for use later, or proceed to add toppings straight away!
Step 11.
Decorate according to taste and enjoy!!
Disclaimer
I'm very passionate about the management of autoimmune conditions in a healthy way.
I speak with medical professionals, read journals, try and test new recipes to share with you and diligently undertake research online. That being said, as you know, each autoimmune disease, as well as any set of symptoms you may be experiencing are unique.
All information provided is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to ensure the appropriateness of any information in relation to your own situation.
And finally, please comment and share so we as a community better cope with our conditions by through growth and learning.