Yaki onigiri (grilled miso-glazed rice balls), plain and filled

Rinse the rice three or four times until the water runs almost clear.

Add cold water to one pinky segment above the rice and cook in the rice cooker.

Turn the rice into a larger bowl to air out and cool; season with sesame oil, sugar and salt to taste, mixing out any clumps.

For the glaze, combine white miso, sake, mirin and sugar in a 2:1:1:1 ratio in a pan over low to medium heat.

Stir and simmer slowly until dissolved and lump-free and cooked down to a deep caramel or toffee color; add sugar if too salty.

Wearing gloves, wet the hands and soak the molds in water; press rice into the triangle molds.

Unmold and reshape by hand to round the edges, which also makes them less likely to burn.

Stack the binchotan vertically in a chimney and set it over a high stove flame for about 20 minutes, until glowing orange.

Lay the charcoal horizontally in the grill; a closer, taller stack is hotter at that point.

Brush the rice balls and the grill with a little neutral oil and place the rice balls on the rack without moving them.

Grill about seven to eight minutes per side, checking and rotating, until a deep even crust forms.

Brush with the miso glaze, flip and grill the glazed side 10 to 15 seconds, just until shiny.

Variation, gyudon filling: thinly slice a ribeye and an onion.

Variation: in a large saucepan combine dashi, mirin, soy, sake and a little sugar; simmer the onions until soft.

Variation: add the beef and simmer only until no pink is left.

Variation: reduce the leftover juice with a splash of soy and sugar to a sticky soy glaze.

Variation, steak filling: cut the second ribeye into strips, rub the grill with beef fat and grill, salting each side, until crusted.

Variation: brush the steak with the soy glaze and grill until the glaze reduces and is shiny.

Variation: rest the steak, cut into small chunks, slice scallion and toss both with the leftover glaze.

Variation: in a pre-soaked mold, put down half the rice, add filling, top with rice, press to seal and pinch the seams closed.

Variation: alternatively hold 80% of the rice in one hand, make an indent, fill, and push the remaining rice over the top.

Variation, pan method: pan-fry the rice balls in a healthy amount of neutral oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat until golden brown and crusty on both sides.

Variation: brush with miso glaze and sear again 5 to 10 seconds to caramelize the glaze.