Chicken satay rice balls

Method

1. Rinse the rice repeatedly in cold water until the water is mostly clear. Drain, combine with the 400 ml water, and cook in a rice cooker on its white-rice setting, or bring to a boil in a covered saucepan, reduce to very low heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes.
2. While the rice cooks, whisk the peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic, and curry powder until smooth.
3. Heat the oil in a 28 cm skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in one uncrowded layer and cook for 6 to 9 minutes, turning, until lightly browned and the centre of the largest piece reaches 74°C. If it crowds, cook in two batches.
4. Lower the heat. Add the peanut mixture and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until it clings thickly to the chicken and no watery sauce remains. Transfer immediately to a clean shallow plate. Refrigerate once the heavy steam stops while the rice finishes.
5. For the optional pickle, stir the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Toss with the cucumber, cover, and refrigerate. Drain before packing and keep it separate from the rice balls.
6. Fold the 4 g salt through the hot rice without crushing the grains. Spread it in a wide shallow bowl for 5 minutes, only until warm enough to handle. Do not leave it out to cool to room temperature.
7. With clean, damp hands or plastic wrap, divide the rice into 8 portions of about 80 g. Flatten one portion, place about 50 g cold chicken filling in the centre, close the rice completely around it, and compress only until secure. Repeat with the remaining portions.
8. Put the shaped balls in one layer in a shallow clean container with space around them. Refrigerate uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover. Complete all cooling and refrigeration within 1 hour of the rice finishing its cook cycle.

Storage and transport

• Keep at 4°C or colder and eat within 24 hours. The optional cucumber pickle also stays refrigerated and is packed in a separate leakproof container.
• Eat properly chilled rice balls cold, or reheat them only once until steaming throughout and the centre reaches 74°C. Serve immediately after reheating. Do not partially warm and chill them again.
• For best quality, freeze cooled rice balls without cucumber on the day they are made. Wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat once to 74°C. Freezing is a quality limit, not permission to delay the initial one-hour cooling step.
• Pack directly from the refrigerator in an insulated bag with two frozen cold sources, one above and one below. These rice balls cannot travel safely without cold sources, even if they are eaten cold.
• The maximum cumulative time out of refrigeration is 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Because cooked rice can become unsafe without smelling spoiled, discard rice balls that exceed the limit.

Notes

• Allergens: peanuts and soy. Standard soy sauce often contains wheat, so use certified gluten-free tamari and verify the curry powder for a gluten-free version.
• Chicken thighs remain juicier than breast in the small filling pieces. The thermometer reading, not colour alone, confirms poultry safety.
• Keep the satay filling thick and fully enclosed. Loose sauce wets the rice and makes the ball split.
• The two rice balls make a small meal rather than a light nibble. Pack only what will be eaten at one sitting.

Sources consulted

• Good Food: Satay chicken rice bowl
• Just One Cookbook: Onigiri
• FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
• GOV.UK: Student guide to food safety and hygiene
• USDA FSIS: Keeping Bag Lunches Safe
• FDA: Food Allergies, What You Need to Know