Stuffed Rice Balls with Teriyaki Sauce

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Welcome to a recipe that's as fun to make as it is to eat! These Stuffed Rice Balls with Teriyaki Sauce are inspired by Japanese onigiri but with a creative twist. We pan-fry them until they're golden and crispy on the outside, revealing a warm, savory filling of fish and cream cheese on the inside. Paired with a homemade teriyaki sauce that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savory, this dish is an irresistible appetizer, a satisfying snack, or a light lunch. Get ready to impress your family and friends with this simple yet elegant creation!

A plate of stuffed rice balls drizzled with teriyaki sauce and garnished with olives and green onions.

Stuffed rice balls with teriyaki sauce.

Cooking: 30 minutes
Quantity: 4 Servings
Per serving
Calories: 185 kcal
Proteins: 10 g
Fats: 5 g
Carbohydrates: 25 g

Ingredients for the Stuffed Rice Balls

  • 200 g cooked rice
  • 100 g canned fish (salmon, tuna, sardine)
  • 40 g Philadelphia cream cheese
  • a few stalks of green onion
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • salt, sugar
  • olives and green onion for garnish

Ingredients for the Teriyaki Sauce

  • 100 ml filtered water
  • 100 ml concentrated soy sauce
  • 20 ml rice vinegar
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 chili pepper pod
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • salt to taste

How to Make Stuffed Rice Balls with Teriyaki Sauce

A pot with rice cooking on a stove, covered with a lid.

Cover tightly and cook the rice over low heat for 10 minutes.

A bowl of cooked rice with poppy seeds and seasoning being added.

Add rinsed poppy seeds and salt to taste to the rice.

A bowl of sticky rice mixture being stirred with a spoon.

Mix well to get a rather sticky rice mixture.


Rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Transfer the rinsed rice to a pot, add water in a 1:1 ratio, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the minimum, cover tightly, and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a towel, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Do not add salt at this stage.

Rinse the poppy seeds with boiled water. Add the rinsed poppy seeds, salt to taste, a tablespoon of rice vinegar, a little sugar, and a bit of cold boiled water to the rice.

Mix well; you will get a fairly sticky rice mixture with a pleasant sweet-and-sour taste and crunchy poppy seeds.

Four equal portions of sticky rice on a wooden board.

Divide the rice into 4 equal parts.

Divide the rice into 4 equal parts. With wet hands, form patties and place them on a board.

A piece of canned fish being placed on a flat rice patty.

Place a piece of fish on each rice patty.

A spoonful of cream cheese and green onion mixture being added to the rice patty.

Place a portion of the cheese and onion mixture on each rice patty.

Hands shaping a rice patty with filling into a neat ball.

Form neat rice balls.


Place a piece of fish on each patty. Choose any sea fish according to your taste and budget.

Finely chop the green onion and mix it with the Philadelphia cream cheese. Place a portion of the cheese and onion mixture on each rice patty.

With wet hands, lift the patties from the board and form neat rice balls.

Stuffed rice balls being pan-fried in a skillet until golden brown.

Pan-fry the rice balls on both sides until golden brown.

Grease a frying pan with vegetable or olive oil and heat it up. Pan-fry the rice balls on both sides until golden brown.

Ingredients for teriyaki sauce, like soy sauce and garlic, in a saucepan.

Making the teriyaki sauce.

Straining the teriyaki sauce through a sieve to remove garlic and chili pieces.

Strain the sauce from the saucepan through a sieve.

Teriyaki sauce simmering and thickening in a saucepan.

Heat the sauce until it thickens.


Now, let’s make the teriyaki sauce. Pour water and soy sauce into a saucepan. Add sugar and salt. Finely chop the garlic cloves. Remove the seeds from the chili pepper pod. Add the chopped garlic and chili to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Strain the sauce from the saucepan through a sieve to remove the garlic and chili. The seasonings have done their job.

In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch or potato starch in two tablespoons of water. Return the sauce to the stove, pour in the rice vinegar, and heat it up. Pour the starch mixture in a thin stream into the boiling sauce. Heat the sauce until it thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the teriyaki cool to room temperature. Pour it into a bottle and store it in the refrigerator.

Finished rice balls arranged on a plate, being garnished with olives and green onions.

Arrange the rice balls on a plate and garnish with olives.

Arrange the rice balls on a plate, garnish with olives, sprinkle with green onion, and drizzle with teriyaki sauce. Serve immediately.

And there you have it – beautiful, golden rice balls with a delicious surprise inside! We hope you enjoy every bite of this flavorful dish. Feel free to experiment with the filling; cooked shrimp, mushrooms, or even avocado could be wonderful additions. The homemade teriyaki sauce is a game-changer and can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks to use on chicken, fish, or vegetables. Serve these rice balls warm and watch them disappear. Happy cooking!