Japanese Snack Time: Onigiri
If you are an anime fan, or have watched Studio Ghibli movies, then you probably already know what onigiri is. But for those of you who don’t, onigiri is the Japanese go-to snack. It’s a shaped rice ball either with or without fillings and usually wrapped in seaweed.
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making onigiri for awhile and this was the perfect chance! I would say that it is labor intensive but actually much easier than it looks. Cooking the rice doesn’t take long, but the fillings, depending on what you chose, can take awhile. Also, they taste amazing plain but it you want to make grilled onigiri, called yaki onigiri, those are just as tasty too! This is very much a make-it-up as you go recipe. If you want to change things, feel free!
I used the following recipe from one of my favorite blogs but changed up the fillings and seasonings to be a little stronger. I would recommend using her instructions on how to make the onigiri or look up the instructions online as the process is quite involved. And if you want to make yaki onigiri then that is a different process as well 🙂 But here are some basic ingredients and instructions to get you going!
Rinse the rice thoroughly and then place in a pot with the 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Cook the rice until done about 12 - 15 mins.
Meanwhile mix the tuna mayo filling and prepare the other ingredients.
When the rice is cooked and cooled, shape the onigiri making sure not to make them too big or fill them too full.
Wrap them in seaweed and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Leave off the seaweed after making and filling the rice balls and instead heat a pan over medium heat with a little sesame oil.
Mix together some sesame oil and soy sauce and brush on the onigiri as you grill them to give them a nice glaze and brown color. Enjoy!
Ingredients
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