Miso-Filled Rice Patties

By Sarah Marx Feldner, A Cook’s Journey to Japan: Fish Tales and Rice Paddies, 100 Homestyle Recipes from Japanese Kitchens

I discovered this recipe when I stumbled upon Café Mikunia, a minimalist café on the outskirts of Obuse (just outside of Nagano, Obuse is one of my favorite towns in Japan). I mentioned to the owner that I was doing research for a cookbook, and she seemed more than eager to help. Racking her brain for what she considered kyodo-ryori (local cuisine), she soon brought out these delicious rice patties, prepared within minutes, for me to try. Not only was I taken aback by her hospitality, I was thoroughly impressed with what she had prepared. This version of Konetsuke reminds me of a peppermint patty: Two layers of rice surrounding a thin layer of miso and packaged miso works well.

Makes 8 patties (Serves 4 as a light lunch with a salad or vegetable)

1 recipe white rice
¼ cup (36 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (128 g) miso
½ cup (125 ml) oil, divided

Combine the hot, cooked rice and flour in a large bowl.

Have a small bowl of water and a small bowl of salt on hand for dipping your hands into before forming each patty. To form the rice patties, follow the illustrated steps on the opposite page.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 10-inch (25-cm) skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 2 patties until crisp and starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining oil and patties. Serve warm.

Cooking Tip I recommend cooking two patties at time. Though four patties will easily fit in most skillets, they soak up too much oil so that when you flip them there isn’t enough oil remaining, causing the patties to burn.

Forming the Rice Patties

1. With damp, lightly salted hands, gently press ¼ cup (40 g) of the rice-mixture to form a circle about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across and between ¼ and ½ inch (6 mm and 1.25 cm) thick.

2. Place the patty on a wax paper–lined cookie sheet and repeat with remaining rice to form 16 patties.

3. Spread 1 tablespoon of miso over eight of the patties.

4. Top each of the 8 miso-covered patties with the remaining 8 plain patties. With damp hands, form a rice patty “sandwich” by gently yet firmly cupping the rice and pressing to seal the edges. Repeat with the remaining patties until all are sealed. (You may need to dampen your hands again to prevent the rice from sticking to you.)

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.