Full of quite a lot of fillings and flavors, Onigiri, or Japanese Rice Balls, make an excellent fast snack and a enjoyable different to sandwiches for lunch. On this recipe, you‘ll learn to make onigiri utilizing frequent elements for rice balls in Japan.
Onigiri (おにぎり), generally known as Omusubi (おむすび), are Japanese rice balls. They’re what I name the magical meals of the Japanese. Tender, toothsome rice made transportable, they’re the traditional consolation meals for picnics (particularly in the course of the cherry blossom viewing), bento lunch bins, fast grab-and-go snacks, climbing journeys, film snacks, and many others.
Rising up in Japan, I’ve the fondest recollections of serving to my mother form freshly cooked rice into triangles and pack them neatly into my bento boxes earlier than working off to high school.
What’s Onigiri (Omusubi)?
Onigiri (おにぎり) are Japanese rice balls fabricated from steamed rice that you just compress right into a triangular, ball, or cylinder form and are often wrapped in a nori seaweed sheet. You possibly can taste them flippantly with simply salt or add quite a lot of fillings.
The phrase “onigiri” is extra generally used all through Japan, but it surely’s also called nigirimeshi (握り飯) or omusubi (おむすび).
Adored by all ages, onigiri show their significance and recognition in Japanese on a regular basis lives. We make rice balls for college and work lunches and for a lot of outside actions and occasions. In some methods, they’re the Japanese concept of power bars. We snack on onigiri after we want a fast increase of power and sustenance.
Onigiri’s Historical past
Deemed because the very first touring meals, onigiri had been invented earlier than the existence of refrigeration as a method to protect recent rice longer so it might be introduced alongside to feed vacationers, samurai, troopers on the street, or farmers within the farm fields.
The strategy was to fill the rice with a salty or bitter ingredient as pure preservatives and flippantly compact them into transportable meals that may be carried alongside and eaten with palms. To maintain the rice secure, salt was first utilized in making the onigiri.
At present you will discover these rice balls in so many types and types, however the fundamentals of creating onigiri stay the identical.
Should you’re an anime or manga (Japanese comics) fan, you’ve gotten most definitely seen onigiri present up in lots of storylines of those cultural outputs. Probably the most memorable look needs to be in a scene in Spirited Away, the place a boy named Haku affords Chihiro, the principle character, some onigiri within the hope of comforting her. Because the younger woman took a chew of the rice ball, tears began rolling down her cheeks. It tells the highly effective connection between meals and residential and the feelings concerned. As you’ll be able to see, onigiri means lots to the Japanese.
Elements for Onigiri
For probably the most fundamental and comforting onigiri, you’ll want solely two elements. That’s proper! You want steamed rice and good-quality nori seaweed.
- Japanese Quick-Grain Rice – Generally labeled as sushi rice exterior of Japan, Japanese short-grain rice is the rice that we use in most Japanese cooking. It provides you the right chewy, tender, and barely sticky texture. I personally advocate Koshihikari. Please don’t substitute it with jasmine or some other kinds of rice as they may collapse. Want to study extra about Japanese rice? Learn this post.
- Nori Seaweed – Yow will discover it at Japanese/Asian grocers, well-stocked grocery shops, or online.
- Elective Fillings – We’ll focus on them under.
Tips on how to Make Onigiri
- Prepare dinner short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Utilizing a mildew or your palms, make rice balls. Don’t overlook to salt rice balls for meals security. Fillings are non-obligatory and I share the way to stuff rice balls with a filling within the recipe card.
- Wrap the rice ball with nori seaweed.
What’s the Greatest Rice Cooker
To make the superbly steamed rice for onigiri, I like to make use of my Zojirushi NP-NWC10XB Rice Cooker. It makes fluffy rice each time, and it’s the best Japanese rice cooker I’ve ever used! You will get it on Amazon for $458.29, and it’s properly price it in case you cook dinner quite a lot of rice.
Onigiri Filling
Sure, you’ll be able to fill onigiri with no matter your coronary heart wishes, however I’ll share with you a number of the commonest fillings for onigiri in Japan.
- shake [pronounced as sha-keh] (salted salmon)
- umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum)
- okaka (bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce)
- kombu (simmered kombu seaweed)
- tuna mayo (canned tuna with Japanese mayonnaise)
- mentaiko or tarako ((spicy) salted cod roe)
- furikake (rice seasonings to sprinkle throughout)
Now in case you are able to get artistic, look no additional than your dinner leftovers. I’ve used my leftovers from Chicken Karaage and Shrimp Tempura to fill my onigiri. As an alternative of plain steamed rice, you too can use Takikomi Gohan (mixed rice) or Corn Rice.
Onigiri Shapes and Mildew
You can also make many various shapes of onigiri, and the most typical ones are:
- Triangular
- Cylindrical (form of rice bale)
- Spherical/round
- Cylindrical
- Artistic – Some house cooks even take their onigiri to a different excessive trend stage by shaping the rice balls into so many cute animals or character-based shapes!
On this up to date recipe submit, I used an onigiri mold to show the way to use it. I discover it simpler to portion every onigiri utilizing the mildew.
Tips on how to Wrap Nori
There are alternative ways to wrap the nori across the rice balls. You possibly can minimize a sheet of nori into skinny strips and wrap the nori across the cylindrical or triangular rice ball form (that is extra like a ornament).
You can even minimize the nori sheet in thirds and wrap the rice ball with the nori.
Some favor to wrap the rice balls when they’re heat so the nori will keep on with the rice (however it will likely be soggy/moist) however most individuals favor to maintain the nori as crisp as potential.
You should purchase this onigiri plastic wrapper, which lets you preserve the nori crispy till you’re able to eat (much like Japanese comfort store-style onigiri). Or, verify the video under to see how one can make a DIY plastic wrap.
Cooking Ideas and Strategies
- Use freshly cooked rice. I strongly advocate utilizing freshly cooked rice as an alternative of older rice while you make onigiri. Switch the cooked rice to a big bowl, baking sheet, or sushi oke (hangiri). Let cool barely. The rice ought to be heat when making onigiri.
- Moist and salt your palms. It’s vital to moist your palms with water to forestall the rice from sticking. Put together a bowl of water subsequent to your working station. Salt each your palms and rub to unfold throughout. Salting helps to taste and to protect the onigiri for an extended time.
- Give simply sufficient strain. Your palms ought to be agency sufficient when urgent the onigiri so the rice doesn’t collapse while you form it. You don’t need to squeeze the rice too tight. Rotate the rice balls each time you give light strain. After rotating 3-5 occasions, the rice ball ought to be in fine condition.
- Establish your rice ball with a filling. Should you add a filling, place a small quantity of the filling on the tip of the rice ball so you’ll be able to establish which filling is inside.
- Maintain the rice and rice balls coated with a plastic or a humid towel so the rice is not going to dry out shortly.
- Wrap the nori proper earlier than you serve, in case you like your nori to be crispy. Some onigiri retailers promote onigiri that has nori wrapped round it already. We get pleasure from each kinds, so it’s as much as your choice.
Frequent Requested Questions
Why does my nori get soggy and moist?
Nori will get soggy as quickly because it absorbs moisture. Should you favor crispy nori to your onigiri, I like to recommend wrapping the nori proper earlier than you eat. Ensure the nori is saved in a resealable bag to keep away from getting stale.
Why does my nori get gummy?
I like to recommend getting higher high quality nori, ideally imported from Japan. It’s very unlucky however most nori out there in grocery shops right here isn’t flavorful and the feel tends to get gummy when moist/moist. I all the time get imported nori from Japan (I often decide the most costly nori at Nijiya Market) and it’s fairly good. We are able to get higher high quality nori in Japan at a good value, however not exterior of Japan but.
Do I’ve to make onigiri proper earlier than I pack for lunch?
If you wish to make onigiri for lunch the following day however don’t need to get up early, right here’s my tip. You possibly can wrap the completed onigiri (in plastic wrap) with a thick kitchen towel. The kitchen towel protects the rice balls from being too chilly within the fridge. Rice will get onerous within the fridge however with this simple trick, your onigiri can be cool sufficient to remain secure.
Do you serve onigiri chilly?
You possibly can get pleasure from onigiri heat or at room temperature, so that they’re good in your lunchbox or as a transportable snack on the go. You possibly can even plate them up as a tasty appetizer!
Do you suppose I can contain my youngsters in making rice balls?
Sure! The most effective half about making onigiri at house is you’ll be able to all the time have interaction your little ones as their ‘craft day within the kitchen.’ Make it enjoyable and fulfilling! You need to use this onigiri mold to make it simpler to create a triangle form.
Like all the pieces else, observe makes good in terms of making onigiri. For a visible information, you’ll be able to watch my video and see the step-by-step directions under.
Is onigiri sushi?
For the uninitiated, onigiri is usually misunderstood as a kind of sushi however they don’t seem to be.
One of many key variations between onigiri and sushi is that onigiri begins from a base of plain steamed rice, whereas sushi is fabricated from Sushi Rice (steamed rice seasoned with vinegar, salt, and sugar).
👉🏻 See extra particulars in How To Cook Japanese Rice and How To Make Sushi Rice.
The place can I get onigiri?
Outdoors of the house, you’ll be able to actually discover rice balls in every single place in Japan: konbini comfort shops, airports, cute cafes, and specialty shops.
Right here within the US, you will discover them at Japanese grocery shops.
Extra Onigiri Recipes and Variations
We additionally get pleasure from onigiri in these in style variations:
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Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Full of quite a lot of fillings and flavors, Onigiri or Japanese Rice Balls make an excellent, fast snack and a enjoyable different to sandwiches for lunch. On this recipe, you‘ll learn to make these onigiri utilizing frequent fillings for rice balls in Japan.
Servings: 9 onigiri (13 with a mildew)
Elements
For the Japanese Salted Salmon Filling (fast model)
For the Tuna Mayo Filling
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
To Put together the Steamed Rice
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To measure 2¼ cups raw Japanese short-grain white rice, overfill a US cup measure (a ¾-cup measure works properly for this) or a rice cooker cup with raw short-grain rice and stage it off. Put the rice in a big bowl. Repeat till you’ve gotten the quantity of rice you want. Tip: Please word that 2¼ cups (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups) of raw Japanese short-grain rice yield 6⅔ cups (990 g) of cooked white rice. That is sufficient for 9 onigiri rice balls (usually 110 g every). One cup of cooked white rice weighs about 5.3 oz (150 g).
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Subsequent, rinse and wash the short-grain white rice and cook dinner it with a rice cooker, pot over a stove, Instant Pot, or donabe. Please observe the detailed directions in any one in every of these posts for the way to rinse and cook dinner the rice. Right here, I‘m including 2½ cups water to the drained rice in a rice cooker. Tip: The rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1.1 (or 1.2) for Japanese short-grain white rice. This rice requires a soaking time of 20–half-hour. Please learn this weblog submit for an in depth rationalization.
To Put together the Onigiri Fillings
To Form the Onigiri
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Collect all of the elements to make the onigiri and a bowl full of water to your palms. If you’re shaping the onigiri together with your palms, switch the freshly cooked rice to a big bowl, baking sheet, or sushi oke (hangiri) and let it cool barely till it‘s cool sufficient to deal with. The rice ought to be heat when making onigiri.
Technique 1: With an Onigiri Mildew
Technique 2: With Your Arms
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First, moist each of your palms with a little bit of water to forestall the rice from sticking to your palms. Then, apply some Diamond Crystal kosher salt and unfold it on each palms. How a lot salt? I dip 2–3 fingers within the kosher salt, as pictured under. If you’re utilizing desk salt, use half the quantity because it’s saltier than kosher salt.
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Scoop a handful (about ⅓ cup, 50 g) of barely cooled however nonetheless sizzling rice onto your left (non-dominant) hand. Tip: Your left hand holds the rice ball and flattens the onigiri’s sides. At all times preserve it beneath the onigiri. Create a small properly (indentation) within the middle of the rice. Add 1–2 tsp of 1 type of filling inside.
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Scoop some extra rice (one other ⅓ cup, 50 g) to cowl your filling fully. Mildew the rice together with your palms and gently press the rice across the filling to type the rice right into a ball.
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Bend your proper (dominant) hand barely to type a “mountain” form and place it on prime of the rice. Your proper hand types the triangle corners of the onigiri. At all times preserve it on prime of the rice ball.Gently press the rice together with your prime hand to make a triangle nook. Tip: Make your palms simply agency sufficient so the onigiri doesn’t collapse, however don’t squeeze too tightly. Attempt to preserve the density of the rice ball as ethereal as potential.On the identical time, squeeze the fingers and heel of your backside (left) hand on both aspect of the onigiri to softly press the edges flat.Now, rotate the triangle nook you simply made towards you. I exploit a single upward movement to barely toss the rice ball in my backside hand whereas I exploit my prime hand to rotate it towards me clockwise (since I’m right-handed). The primary nook will now level at you whereas the tip of the second nook factors up.Repeat the “press and rotate” steps to type the second and third triangle corners. Then press and rotate 2–3 extra occasions to complete shaping the triangle.
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Flip the rice ball on its aspect and press gently to flatten one aspect; repeat on the opposite aspect. Then, press and rotate one final time. Switch to a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining rice.
Technique 3: Utilizing Plastic Wrap
To Coat with the Furikake
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Bear in mind, dip your fingers earlier than touching the onigiri to forestall the rice from sticking to your fingers.
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Coat the three sides of the onigiri with furikake (rice seasoning).
To Wrap with the Nori and Serve
To Retailer
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Should you‘d wish to pack Onigiri to your lunch, preserve it cool and devour it inside 6 hours. Onigiri (or any rice dish) will get onerous while you refrigerate it. The chilly air makes the rice dry and onerous. I don‘t advocate making onigiri too far forward of time. But when you actually need to, my trick is to wrap the onigiri with thick kitchen towels and retailer it within the fridge. The onigiri can be cool and secure however mustn’t get chilly.
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In case your onigiri has dried out a bit, you’ll be able to grill it in a frying pan and baste it with soy sauce to make Yaki Onigiri.
Diet
Diet Info
Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Quantity per Serving
% Each day Worth*
* P.c Each day Values are primarily based on a 2000 calorie food regimen.
Editor’s Observe: The submit was initially printed on September 5, 2012. It was up to date with extra useful content material and new step-by-step and closing photos on September 10, 2023. The submit was republished with a brand new video on Might 10, 2024.
