Japanese🍚 Starches

Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri)

Name: Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri)
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 Japanese short grain rice; ~100 g cooked salted salmon; ~2 tbsp karashi mentaiko (spicy pollock roe); ~2-3 umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum); ~1 canned tuna; ~2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise; ~2 tbsp soy sauce; ~2 tbsp dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi); ~¼ tsp salt; ~2 tbsp furikake rice seasoning; ~2 nori sheets

A simple and versatile Japanese rice ball recipe that can be filled with salmon, mentaiko, pickled plum, or tuna mayo — a delicious lunchbox alternative to sandwiches.

Adapted from a video by Just One Cookbook

How to Make Delicious Japanese Rice Balls

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Japanese short grain ricemeasured in rice cooker cups3
cooked salted salmonbroken into flakes; leftover salmon works~100 gest.
karashi mentaiko (spicy pollock roe)gently scrape eggs out of the membrane with a spoon~2 tbspest.
umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum)pit removed, flesh used~2-3est.
canned tuna~1est.
Japanese mayonnaise~2 tbspest.
soy sauceused for both tuna mayo and okaka fillings~2 tbspest.
dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)mixed with soy sauce to make okaka~2 tbspest.
salt

Steps

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1
Cook three rice-cooker cups of Japanese short grain rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop. Once done, fluff the rice and keep it covered.
2
Break the cooked salmon into flakes and set aside; leftover salmon can be used.
3
Prepare the fillings: gently scrape mentaiko eggs from the membrane with a spoon, remove the umeboshi pit and keep the flesh, mix canned tuna with mayonnaise and a drizzle of soy sauce for tuna mayo, and mix dried bonito flakes with soy sauce for okaka.
4
To shape by hand: wet both palms to prevent sticking, then dab a little salt on your palms. Scoop warm rice onto your non-dominant hand, add filling in the center, cover with more rice, and gently press with both hands to form a triangle.
5
To shape with plastic wrap: line a rice bowl with plastic wrap and sprinkle some salt, add rice and filling, cover with more rice completely, then gather the corners of the wrap and mold the rice into a triangle. This method is handy if you prefer not to touch the rice directly or when packing for lunch boxes.
6
To shape with an onigiri mold: soak the mold in water and sprinkle some salt, fill it halfway with rice and press to the corners, add filling in the center, fill the rest with more rice to the edges, close the lid and press down firmly—you should feel slight resistance (add more rice if not), then open the lid, flip the mold, and press the release button onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
7
Once shaped, you can coat the outside of the rice balls with furikake seasoning.
8
Toast both sides of the nori sheets briefly over an open flame, then cut them into thirds along the lines on the sheet; pre-cut nori sheets are also available at Japanese grocery stores.
9
Place the rice ball in the center of a nori sheet and wrap it around; alternatively, use another wrapping method that keeps the nori crisp until you're ready to eat, wrapping it just before enjoying.

Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri)

Ingredients

Steps

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