Onigiri – Japanese Rice Balls –

Onigiri 

Onigiri (or Omusubi) is Japanese soul food. From simple rice balls mother makes for school lunches or picnic, to fancy versions using premium brand rice and fillings that are sold at high-end delis, onigiri holds a special place in everyone’s heart.

As a child, I was obsessed with onigiri. Whenever I saw my mother make my favorite sujiko (cured salmon roe) onigiri before school, I would be completely distracted through morning classes with anticipation for the scrumptious onigiri lunch I could enjoy. Onigiri has magic qualities that get you hooked. It has a distinctive and comforting shape. Its cold rice, nori (dried seaweed) and savory filling offer a perfect balance of saltiness and umami. And it’s very easy and fun to make for everyone in the family!

There are a couple of common recipes – onigiri made with plain white rice and a filling, and with takikomi gohan (seasoned mixed rice). In this article, I am sharing a Sake (salmon) onigiri and corn takikomi gohan onigiri for the summer.

Sake Onigiri

Makes 6 onigiri ┃Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 3-8 hours to cure salmon)┃Cook time: 40 minutes including cooking time for rice

Ingredients 

• 2 Japanese rice-making cups (360 ml.) short grain rice
• 6-8 oz. skin-on salmon fillet
• 2 Tbsp. salt
• 1 full sheet of nori, divided into 8 (4×1.8 inch) rectangular pieces
• 1-3 Tbsp
• black or toasted white sesame seeds

Instructions

Broil Salmon

1. Sprinkle ½ – 1 Tbsp. salt over the salmon fillet and refrigerate it for 8 hours if possible for full curing, but a few hours should be fine to get satisfying salty flavor. You can freeze the cured salmon for later use.
2. Place the salmon on parchment paper on a cookie sheet on the middle rack and broil 3-5 minutes on one side until the surface starts sizzling, flip the salmon and cook another 5 minutes until fully cooked.
3. Cool the salmon enough to touch, then remove the skin (and you can eat is as a crisp snack!) and break the fish into coarse flakes. Set aside.

Cook rice

1. Put rice in a large bowl and add water to cover it. Without stirring much, discard the water. With your hand, polish rice gently using a circular motion. Add fresh water to cover rice, stir again, and drain. Repeat these steps a few times until water is clear. Drain rice well and transfer it to a Dutch oven or electric rice cooker.
2. Using a rice cooker: Place rice in cooker and fill with water to the “sushi rice” level. Cook according to rice cooker instructions. Using a Dutch oven: Put rice and 1¾ cups water in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and leave lid on for another 15-20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a spatula.

Form Onigiri

1. Have water in a small bowl, salt and sesame seeds in separate plates, and a small rice bowl set up on the table.
2. While cooked rice is still warm or hot enough to handle, put rice in a small bowl (approx. 3 to 4 oz) and make a shallow dent with your finger in the center of the rice.
3. Put about 1 tsp. of salmon flakes in the dent.
4. Wet your hands with water and put a sprinkle of salt in your palms and rub both hands. Place the rice along with the filling onto one palm.
5. Using both hands, form a round shape around the filling and cover the filling completely. Do not press the rice too hard. You want to keep the fluffy texture of the rice ball. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the surface.
6. Rotate the rice ball in your hands several times and shape it into either triangle or cylindrical form. Put a sheet of nori around the onigiri and serve, or you can wrap the finished rice ball in a plastic wrap for on the go.

Corn Takikomi Gohan Onigiri

Makes 6 onigiri┃Prep time: 30 minutes┃Cook time: 40 minutes including cooking time for rice

Ingredients

1. 1 ear of fresh corn, shucked (reserve silk for the tea recipe)
2. 2 Japanese rice cups (note: one Japanese rice cup equals 180 ml) or 1 ½ U.S. cups of short-grain white rice
3. 1 tbsp. sake
4. 2 tsp. sea salt, divided
5. 1 full sheet of nori, divided into 8 (4×1.8 inch) rectangular pieces

Instructions

Make corn takikomi gohan

1. Put rice in a large bowl and add water to cover it. Without stirring much, discard the water. With your hand, polish rice gently using a circular motion. Add fresh water to cover rice, stir, and drain. Repeat these steps a few times until water is clear.
2. Drain rice well and transfer it to a Dutch oven or an electric rice cooker. If using a Dutch oven, put 1 tablespoon sake in a measuring cup and add water to bring the total amount of liquid to 400 ml. If using a rice cooker, pour sake directly into the cooker and add water up to the line for 2 cups of regular rice. Add salt, and soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking.
3. Stand the ear of corn vertically on a cutting board and slice down along the cob to remove the kernels. Alternatively, to prevent kernels from flying around and creating a mess, you can stand the ear in a deep bowl instead of on a cutting board. You can also lay the ear flat on the cutting board and remove the kernels by cutting along the sides.
4. Place the kernels and cob on top of the rice in the Dutch oven or rice cooker.
5. If using the Dutch oven, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for another 15-20 minutes. If using the rice cooker, follow the procedure in the instructions.
6. When the rice is cooked, remove the cob and fluff the rice and corn with a spatula, gently combining them. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and/or butter if you like.

Form Onigiri

1. Have water in a small bowl and another small rice bowl set up on the table.
2. While cooked takikomi gohan is still warm or hot enough to handle, put rice in a small bowl (approx. 3 to 4 oz).
3. Wet your hands with water and place the rice onto one palm.
4. Using both hands, form the rice into either triangle or cylindrical form. Put on a sheet of nori around the onigiri and serve, or you can wrap the finished rice ball in a plastic wrap on the go.

Recipe by Kanako Koizumi | www. kozmokitchen.com

Kanako, a native of Akita, Japan, is a chef, author and instructor focused on authentic Japanese homecooking. Chef Kanako also offers in-home private cooking classes for groups up to 12. You can reach her at info@kozmokitchen.com.

Kanako’s Hands-on Onigiri Workshop
Learn more on how to make onigiri at Japan Fair!　Kanako’s onigiri workshop will be held at Japan Fair 4F seminor room on July 8th at 11:05.

Go to Japan Fair Page 
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