Grilled rice cakes (yaki onigiri) with chilli brown butter

Instructions

1. Make sushi rice according to package instructions. Combine mirin, rice vinegar and salt in a bowl and gently fold into the rice. Allow to cool and soak up the seasoning.
2. Press the rice into a shallow loaf pan lined with plastic wrap. Cover in plastic and allow to set and cool in fridge for 2-4 hours.
3. When set, turn the rice out of the pan onto a board – do not remove plastic wrap. Cut 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick slices horizontally along the loaf. Once all slices are cut remove plastic wrap.
4. For soy brush: Add soy sauce and mirin to a small bowl and mix until combined.
5. For furikake: Using scissors cut small slices of nori into a bowl. Mix togarashi into nori slices as well as salt, sugar, and roasted sesame seeds.
6. Place a pot or pan onto medium high heat to get nice and hot. Add ice cold cubed butter to the pan. Mix butter with whisk until it is brown in colour and has a sweet nutty smell. Add hot brown butter (Only add golden smooth butter, do not add the milk solids stuck to the bottom of the pot) to any store bought, room temperature sweet chili sauce in a separate bowl, not on heat. Whisk together.
7. Pre-heat the barbecue grill to medium-high.
8. Start by oiling the grill to make sure the rice does not stick. Grill rice blocks, cut side down, on direct heat until there are light char marks on one side, then flip. While the other side grills, brush the charred side of rice with soy brush. Remove rice once there are char marks on both sides, and the blocks brushed on both sides.
9. Drizzle sweet chili brown butter on top of grilled rice once off the heat and garnish with furikake spice blend. Finish with a sprinkle of chives (optional).