Our "rice accompaniments" recommendation project was born from the editorial team's dream of patrolling the basement of a department store (food floor) with a bowl of plump, shiny rice and chopsticks in hand!

In this fourth installment, we'll be introducing the "Mentaiko rice balls" we found at Niigata Kashimaya, located on the first basement floor of the main building of Isetan Shinjuku.



I've always been curious about Kashimaya's bottled mentaiko series. From the extensive lineup of flavors, including salmon, salmon roe, scallops, and more, each one is sure to be exceptionally delicious, our editorial team chose this "Onigiri Mentaiko." Let's open! 




To put it bluntly, with this mentaiko, you might not even need any other side dishes... It's that delicious, it's a great "side dish for rice."




This exquisite mentaiko is made from loosened roe from Sukeso cod caught off the coast of Hokkaido, seasoned with chili peppers and bonito flakes. Since this mentaiko is already shredded, it's great on freshly cooked rice, as in this recipe, or as a topping for onigiri, pasta, or salad sticks. It's a versatile dish that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. First, enjoy it by topping it generously on freshly cooked white rice!