Toasted kuro goma (black sesame)

Aonori (crushed green seaweed) or furikake

One hour before cooking, wash rice and place in rice cooker with water; allow to soak. Steam rice and fluff it with a fork.

Toast goma in dry frying pan, just until fragrant.

Wet hands and sprinkle with salt. Working quickly and with a light hand, pat a golf-ball size scoop of rice into a thick cake, place a whole, seeded umeboshi in the center and press and crimp to bring rice up around umeboshi, allowing the red to peek out. Repeat with remaining rice.

Sprinkle with kuro goma and/or aonori or furikake.

Makes 2 dozen.

• Per serving (2 rice balls): 190 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 4 g protein.

This recipe for seasoned rice makes a one-dish meal that's pure comfort food and illustrates how a small amount of meat goes a long way. It's adapted from "The Legacy of the Japanese in Hawaii: Cuisine" (The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i, 1989). This recipe is designed to be made with the familiar japonica rice, the white, short-grain Calrose type that is the Islands' everyday staple. Dashi-no-moto is powdered dashi (stock) in small packets, sold boxed.

TORI GOHAN

• 4 cups raw short-grain rice
• 3/4 cup dried shiitake mushrooms
• Chicken stock
• 1 pound bone-in chicken (breast or thigh)
• 5 inches konbu
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup sliced bamboo shoots*
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into thin strips
• 4 tablespoons sake (divided use)
• 5 tablespoons sugar (divided use)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided use)
• 5 tablespoons shoyu (divided use)
• About 5 cups chicken stock (divided use)
• 1 package dashi-no-moto
• 1/2 cup Chinese peas or frozen Western-style peas, blanched

Wash rice, place in water to cover and allow to soak 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain rice and set aside.

Place dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water to cover and soak until mushrooms are hydrated and soft. Drain, reserving mushrooms. Combine shiitake water with chicken stock enough to make ? cup. Reserve.

Bone chicken, cutting meat into thin strips. Reserve bones for stock.

Combine chicken bones, konbu and 8 cups water. Boil, then simmer slowly for half an hour. Strain, discarding solids, and set stock aside.

Sauté chicken pieces in vegetable oil for 1 minute, add softened mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, 2 tablespoons sake and shiitake/chicken broth and 3 tablespoons sugar; cook 1-2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons shoyu; cook 2-3 minutes.

Pour 4 1/2 cups chicken stock into large pot and bring to a boil. Add remaining sake, sugar, salt, shoyu, dashi-no-moto and drained rice. Return to a boil, stir, cover, turn down heat and steam 10 minutes.

Place chicken/vegetable mixture atop rice and steam another 5 minutes. Add blanched peas just before serving. Toss gently to distribute ingredients.

Serves 6.

• Per serving: 740 calories, 12 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, greater than 2000 mg sodium, 129 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 13 g sugar, 23 g protein.

* If canned bamboo shoots are used, rinse well in cold running water before slicing.

This everyday dish is a great way to use up leftover long-grain rice and is a staple in Thai home cooking. The recipe is from "Quick and Easy Thai" by Nancie McDermott; Chronicle Books, paper, $18.95.

THAI FRIED RICE (Kao Paht)

• 4 cups cooked long-grain rice, preferably chilled
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 pound boneless pork or chicken, thinly sliced into 2-inch strips
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla, the Thai kind)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
• A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• Optional accompaniments: cucumber slices, lime wedges, a drizzling sauce of fish sauce with chopped fresh chilies or dried ground chilies
• Optional addition: steamed edamame.

Crumble the cold rice with your fingers, breaking up bigger lumps and set aside in bowl.

Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add oil and heat; when a bit of garlic sizzles as soon as it's thrown into the oil, the oil is ready. Add garlic and onion and toss well until shiny and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork or chicken and cook, tossing often, until the onion begins to wilt and the meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add beaten egg; toss well to scramble once egg begins to set.

Add rice, fish sauce, sugar and green onions and cook, tossing often, until rice is tender and heated through. Mound rice on serving platter and garnish with cilantro. Cucumber and lime can be passed along with drizzling sauce. Serve hot or warm.

Serves 4.

• Per serving: 350 calories, 11 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 720 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 15 g protein.