Easy Food Recipes and Cooking - Onigiri
Serves 8 ● Prep 20 Min ● Cook 40 Min
420g uncooked Japanese rice (short-grain)
550ml water
To assemble
250ml water
¼ teaspoon salt fillings such as salmon flakes, umeboshi and toasted sesame seeds
2 sheets nori (dry seaweed), cut into 3cm strips
- Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear. Combine washed rice and 550ml water in a saucepan.Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer rice until the water is absorbed, about 15-20 mins. Set aside for 15 mins to allow the rice to continue to steam and become tender. Allow cooked rice to cool. Alternatively use a rice cooker!
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the fillings.
- Tip the water and salt in a bowl and stir to dissolve. Use this water to dampen hands before handling the rice. Let the cooked rice cool a little bit until you can handle the rice without burning your hands. However, do not let the rice cool down completely.
- Divide the cooked rice into 8 equal portions. Use one portion of rice for each onigiri. Put half of one portion of rice in the palm of your damp hand. Make a little indentation in the rice and fill with a heaping teaspoon of desired filling. Cover with the remaining portion of rice and press lightly to enclose filling inside rice ball. Gently press the rice to shape into a triangle. Wrap shaped onigiri with a strip of nori. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or some of the filling. Repeat to make a total of 8 onigiri.