Colorful Lotus Leaf Rice Rolls (Ssambap) Bento
[Cancer Prevention Recipe] Low-Sodium, Three-Color Ssambap Lunch Box
Worried about food spoiling in the summer heat when packing healthy homemade lunches for your child? This recipe creates a safe and healthy lunch box by wrapping rice rolls in lotus leaves and steaming them. Enjoy a nutritious and delicious meal even on hot days!
Rice Roll Ingredients- 2 cups glutinous rice (sweet rice)
- 100g sea mustard (seaweed)
- 50g black beans (soaked)
- 20g Euryale ferox seeds (fox nut)
- 50g peas
- 10g green tea powder
- 10g purple sweet potato powder
- 1 fresh lotus leaf (for steaming)
Seasoning Sauce and Garnish Ingredients- 2 Tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
- 2 Tbsp perilla seed powder
- 2 Korean green chili peppers (cheongyang peppers)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 mini bell peppers (one yellow, one red)
- 2 Tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
- 2 Tbsp perilla seed powder
- 2 Korean green chili peppers (cheongyang peppers)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 mini bell peppers (one yellow, one red)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare all the ingredients for the rice rolls. Rinse the sea mustard to remove saltiness, and wash the black beans, Euryale ferox seeds, and peas thoroughly. Finely chop the mini bell peppers and chili peppers after removing the seeds.
Step 2
To cook fluffy rice, combine 2 cups of rinsed glutinous rice with 50g of soaked black beans, 20g of Euryale ferox seeds, and 50g of peas in your rice cooker. For the 100g of sea mustard, rinse it about twice to remove salt, then soak it in cold water for about 1 hour to leach out excess salt. Drain well before adding it to the rice.
Step 3
While the rice is cooking, let’s make the delicious perilla seed and soybean paste sauce. In a bowl, mix 2 Tbsp of soybean paste, 2 Tbsp of perilla seed powder, and 2 Tbsp of water until well combined. For a milder flavor, you can add 1 tsp of honey to balance any bitterness.
Step 4
Finely chop the yellow and red mini bell peppers and 2 Korean green chili peppers. These vegetables will add color and flavor as a topping for the rice rolls. If you prefer less spiciness, you can substitute the chili peppers with bell peppers.
Step 5
Once the sea mustard glutinous rice is cooked and fluffy, divide the rice into three portions. Keep one portion plain, and mix 10g of green tea powder into the second portion, and 10g of purple sweet potato powder into the third. This will create visually appealing three-colored rice.
Step 6
Add a pinch of salt and 1 Tbsp of sesame oil to each portion of rice and gently mix. If using green tea powder, a little honey (1 tsp) can be added to the green tea rice to counteract any slight bitterness, making it more palatable for children.
Step 7
Now, shape each portion of the seasoned rice into bite-sized balls. Making them about the size of a child’s fist is convenient for packing in a lunch box and for eating in one bite.
Step 8
Place the shaped rice balls onto clean blanched cabbage leaves or into seasoned tofu pouches (yu-bu) to form the rice rolls (ssambap). If cabbage leaves are unavailable, you can use blanched lettuce or perilla leaves.
Step 9
Line a steamer basket with the clean fresh lotus leaf. Arrange the prepared rice rolls on top of the lotus leaf and steam over high heat for about 5 minutes. The lotus leaf will impart a subtle fragrance to the rice and also help preserve its freshness.
Step 10
After steaming, place a dollop of the prepared perilla seed soybean paste sauce on top of each colorful rice roll. Garnish with the finely chopped bell peppers and chili peppers. Your vibrant three-color lotus leaf rice roll bento is complete! Enjoy this healthy and delicious meal.
