Why are rice shop rice balls so delicious!?

[284th Rice Ball] Shinjuku Hideyoshi (Wakamatsu-kawada) Green Chili Pepper

Lately, I've been asked a lot, "What's the secret to finding a delicious rice ball shop?"
If it were ramen or curry, you could judge it to some extent by referring to ratings and reviews on gourmet websites.
However, that doesn't really work for rice balls.

This is because there is little information about rice ball shops on gourmet websites, and even if they are listed, the information is often outdated, making it a bit too thin as a basis for choosing a shop.

Even looking at the storefront, whether it's better to be clean or have a rustic charm, it's unreliable as a criterion for judging deliciousness.

So, based on my experience so far, I would like to share a simple but truly easy-to-understand rule.

That is, "Rice balls made by rice shops are delicious."

It may seem obvious, but it is certainly true. They are professionals who eat delicious rice from all over Japan and, furthermore, know the best way to cook it. That is what a rice shop is.

The rice balls made by those people are bound to be delicious. There is a saying that you should leave mochi to the mochi maker, but for rice, it's the rice shop.

So far, various rice shops that also sell rice balls have appeared. To give an example, it's like this.

A rice ball shop that also sells Uonuma rice.

A rice ball shop in Asakusa that sells Niigata rice.

There is a rice ball shop made by such a rice shop near the big city of Shinjuku.

"Shinjuku Hideyoshi"
It is a specialty store that handles Shinshu rice.

They sell bento boxes and rice balls along with rice.

Actually, this shop offers takeout for their rice balls, but... you can also eat them freshly made.

I ordered the green chili rice ball.
This was a huge hit!

Actually, I had takeout from this shop before and remembered it being delicious, but freshly made is even better!

A Shinshu rice ball, freshly cooked and shaped to be plump and fluffy.
It's so fluffy that it falls apart while I'm eating it. But that's what makes it good!

The sweetness of the rice intertwines with the rich, salty flavor of the moromi miso and the kick of the green chili.

Truly, a blissful rice ball moment...

A rice ball from a rice shop near Shinjuku.
Highly recommended!

**Thank you for the meal!**

I enjoyed it as takeout before!

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