Welcome to the Travel Pockets Cooking Show were actually together cooking, you know, probably separate since were in quarantine before.

That's what we were doing our cooking videos.

But now we're together, Some in California.

I did a road trip to see candy and stay with candy for a little bit.

So our trips we like to make our specific road trip food is always Japanese who that we make with us.

And we've got so many requests to make this video.

So we're finally doing it on today's video.

We're gonna show you how to cook Unigate, which is, um, rice balls and also the Kagen, which is like Japanese fried chicken nuggets and these air to super easy dishes to make.

And it's perfect to take with you on a road trip.

I agree.

So I'm going to start off and show you how to make the rice balls.

So the one thing you really want to get right with this is the type of rice you buy.

We're not being biased, but definitely a Japanese rice for rice balls, because if you get any other type of rice, it's not gonna quite taste the way you want it.

Teoh, This is the rice that we buy.

It just happened to be on sale at the Japanese market and it was Japanese Short green, right?

So why do we get the short grain rice?

Because it has starch in it and you need that starts to make the rice stick.

And that's what's gonna hold or glue the rice balls together.

So do not do not buy rice.

That is a long grain.

For example, Brown rice, like this is a no no, you will probably see on the market other types of short green rice.

For example.

This is Korean short grain rice, which is actually a pretty good one.

I do it sometimes when I run out of the Japanese one.

So this is a good alternative.

If you don't have the Japanese market and you have a Korean market near you, you can get but get their premium.

They usually enable premium rice.

So do that and make sure short grain.

So without further ado, I'm gonna show you how.

Then I wash it and prepare the rice.

Typically, when you buy a rice cooker, it will come with a measuring cup.

So make sure to use the measuring cup that comes with the device, because if you use a regular measuring cup, it's a little bit different.

Eso make sure use the measuring cup that came with your rice cooker.

Whatever cooker you're using.

Eso I've already put in two cups and my rice cooker cook's up to three.

So I'm gonna go ahead and fill one more do three cups.

And once I have that in their, I am going to rinse the rice about 3 to 4 times in cold water.

So I put it in water.

I'll still shit around and mix it, drain it, and then I'll repeat the process about 3 to 4 times.

All right, so now that I have the water measured 23 cups right here where it says white, you can see I'm going to stick this and the rice cooker and my rice cooker is a Japanese brand calls old judiciary.

But I did buy this in the US, so all the instructions are in English and I am always in a hurry.

So I'm gonna set the menu to make the rice quick, and then when I start, this is going to give me that magic sound that it's ready to cook.

It's like I'm gonna go to bed or something lovely.

Okay, so while that rises cooking, we're going to get started on preparing the cock, which is the Japanese fried chicken nuggets.

So the ingredients that you'll need for this soy sauce and you can get so I saw basically anywhere now that nowadays next you will need cooking.

Suck it.

I actually bought a liquor store and buy a socket, and you could buy like the cheapest one.

And I got a bottle of a green one.

Okay.

And then you also need meeting.

And this is a sweet rice wine.

I've seen this sometimes in American grocery stores, in the agent section on, but also just to let you know, these air huge bottles because we use them all the time, but they also sell them in a really small bottles.

You also made fresh ginger and you want fresh ginger.

Do not buy a powder ginger, and because you are using fresh ginger, you will need a greater and just make sure you're not using a cheese grater.

Um, this greater for Ginger and other types like dike along is a little bit different, and we'll also, you know, link below where you can buy these graders, and you can also find them in the Asian market.

I think I've actually bought this on Amazon, so they're very readily available.

Last you'll need corn starch.

Typically, you actually use potato starch for this, but corn starch is much easier to find.

I forgot to mention there is one more ingredient oil you want.

You want to get vegetable oil.

Don't use olive oil because that does not fry food very well.

It's very heavy.

E keep on saying like one more thing.

Okay, So, seriously, one more thing.

Thistles is boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

You have to use chicken thighs.

We actually try to use chicken breast one time, and it did not come out great.

This is a £1.30 but around like a pound and a half is what I typically get.

Okay, so all you have to do with the chicken thighs is just cut into bite size pieces.

So I like to just cut this and strips thick strips first and then kind of cubit after that on, you know, take off any bones.

Sometimes when you get chicken, even though it says boneless, sometimes there are still a little remnants or bones, so just make sure it's not in their Here's all our chicken a la cut up the Yeah, now that we have the chicken cut into chunks, Crystal is going to put in the so I sauce meeting second and then I'm also going to cut up the ginger and then grated I actually just itis now because I've made so many times 2 to 3 tables.

Looks like us Theune socket About a tablespoon are have somewhere along there Who's in the meeting sensing travel tablespoon.

Okay, so now I'm gonna grade the ginger.

I would say about a teaspoon.

I really depends on how much you liked injure.

I love Ginger, so I tend to put more than a teaspoon and I always just eyeball it again because I kind of just do it as much as I like.

So it looks like way have all the ingredients in the bowl.

And now we're just gonna mix it up, you know, swirl it around or you can use your hands.

Use your hands.

Yeah, Get in There s o Okay, so that's what it looks like.

So we'll just sit here and marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes.

And while that's doing the marinating, then we can move on to making our rice balls.

There are so many variations of rice balls from just regular salt with seaweed.

Or you can buy package like this.

That's what I usually do.

And this is I walk on it and geeky with Also Red Red plump and it's really easy to use.

Basically, all you do is mix Sison with the cook priced.

Let's I'm gonna do right now.

So here's the vice, and it does give you instructions on how much to put.

But, you know, I just eyeball.

It really is personal preference on how much e kind of just Sprinkle it on a little bit here on the once I Sprinkle it kind of take this.

And when I use this packet, I want to make sure that the rice is warm because the seaweed right now is, um, it's dry and it hasn't expanded yet, So what I do is once this is missed, then after I make the shape of the rice ball.

I'll wrap it in the Saran wrap and then once it's it's for like a few minutes, then the sea we will soften and it will expand.

And that's when it tastes the best.

I'm horrible at making the shape of rice ball.

I don't I just can't do it.

For some reason I tried many times, just comes out looking deformed, and I'm kind of picky.

I don't know why I like I like That's perfect triangle.

So what I do is I buy these so needy shapers and I bought this one Amazon.

They're super cheap.

And the great thing about this one is the rice this made so that the rice doesn't actually stick, which is great, because I bought one before that didn't have this ridge on it where it doesn't stick.

And I was constantly having a wet it, then put the rice in it.

It was kind of a pain and messy, but this mix of super exams under $5 and I got two sizes.

What came in a big in a small and now you really do is stick the rice in here.

Yes, you take the top and you press it down.

There's a place here where you push it out and it pops right out and look, It's so clean.

It's so convenient and it's a perfect triangle.

There's another method to making the right spots, and this is the way I've been taught at the Japanese restaurant I used to work out years ago when I was in college, and she told me that I need to run around like spring rabbi when he's around, Um, but if you're gonna make the traditional unagi or rice balls, it's just rice with salt and seaweed wrapped around it, just like candy.

I'll put the rice in a bowl first, and instead of using the right seasoning, I'll put salt on it on.

Let's see Oh, or I'm gonna say you'll need about a teaspoon e.

It's a lot like a perfect maybe about two pinches, E would say, but taste it first cause everyone's a little bit different.

I like things to be a little bit more salty, and I don't so I would just say do a pinch out of time to get it to your liking.

So, yeah, it's just really a little bit of salt to add flavor to the rice, so yeah, just mix it up So you got the salt evenly around all the rice, and then you're just gonna make these into strips.

So I'm gonna cut this in half.

But then on the plate over here and what I like to do is take the Saran ra, put the rice.

The Surana on this way to rice is gonna stick to your hands s o.

They get nothing, and then I just kind of wrap it up and then make triangle shape out of now.

It's not gonna be as perfect as Candies because she's got that device, but e get a kind of clothes, and then you just like row to seaweed around it, and that's it.

Super simple.

So you can also put little ingredients in the middle of these rice balls.

So if you're gonna do that, then I would take a little bit of rice first, Then put your little ingredient like a washy, or you could put salmon or you can also put to to dry fish flakes anything in the middle.

And then once you put that in the middle, then you put another layer of rice on top.

And then again, you wrap it up.

Then make your triangle.

Place it, Ken, and you can put less.

See, read if you want it e personal preference.

It's been marinated enough for about I want to say, 20 minutes.

And the next step is to drain the soy sauce mixture.

All right, so now that we have the chicken drained, then we're gonna put wanna put in corn starch.

And I like to do this in separate batches so it could get more of that corn starch.

Just make sure all these chicken pieces get their own course starch covering.

I'm gonna mix it up.

Yeah, You're gonna have corn starch all over.

E doesn't have to be completely covered in corn starch, but at least a good portion of it.

I'm now putting oil in a pot.

What?

Yeah, You want to cook it on high And don't forget to turn on your fan.

Okay?

Before I put in the first batch of chicken, I just wanna make sure the oil is hot enough, so I'll just take a little bit of the batter and put in there.

And if it rises the top really fast like that.

That means it's ready.

Yes, about 3 to 5 minutes.

The Kharyaga should be ready.

Then make sure you just check one of them to see That's all cut through.

Yeah, I have nothing.

Yeah, that's nicely cooked.

All right, so we are done with our meal way put on a place that we could get.

Look, that's not how we take it on the way to put it in a tough aware, we wrap up the Aggies or the rice balls and Saran wrap.

So now you can have your Japanese roach up food whenever you go somewhere.

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Thanks for watching.