Mehari-zushi, Takana-Wrapped Rice Balls

Quick answer

Total time: 60 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Mehari-zushi is a southern Wakayama specialty in which large rice balls are completely enclosed in salt-pickled takana mustard leaves.

It developed as a portable meal for forestry workers in the mountains and fishers at sea, since the leaf wrapper makes the rice easy to hold and eat. Several explanations survive for its name: the wide-open mouth needed for a large piece, eyes widening at the taste, or the rice being tightly sealed with no gap. In this version, the firm takana stems are chopped and mixed into soy-and-mirin-seasoned rice, while the leaves are moistened with a little vinegar seasoning before wrapping.

Ingredients (3 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
short-grain rice	300	g
water for cooking rice	420	ml
salt-pickled takana leaves	5	piece
soy sauce	1	tbsp
mirin	0.5	tsp
rice vinegar	2	tbsp

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

5 steps

1

Heat

Rinse 300g short-grain rice until the water runs mostly clear and drain for 10 minutes.

Combine with 420ml cooking water, soak for 20 minutes, and cook using the standard white-rice setting or method.
2

Season

Open 5 salt-pickled takana leaves and separate the broad leaves from the thick stems.

Give the leaves one quick cold-water rinse, press them dry between clean towels, and finely cut the stems into 5mm pieces.
3

Finish

Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 0.5 teaspoon mirin, and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar.

Stir 1 tablespoon of this seasoning into the chopped stems and rest for 5 minutes; pour the remainder onto a wide plate and moisten both sides of the leaves.
4

Season

Rest the cooked rice for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wide bowl.

Add the seasoned takana stems with their liquid, fold with a rice paddle for 1 minute, and cool for 10 minutes until comfortable to handle.
5

Step

Divide the rice into 5 portions and shape large oval rice balls with damp hands.

Place each on a takana leaf, fold in the sides and ends, and enclose the rice with no gaps. Rest seam-side down for 5 minutes before serving.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Portable food of southern Wakayama forestry workers and fishers
Finish cue: Divide the rice into 5 portions and shape large oval rice balls with damp hands.
Avoid this: For a lunchbox, cool the rice balls completely before closing the lid and do not leave them at room temperature for long.