How to make Onigiri (Japanese rice ball recipe)

Onigiri (or omusubi, depending on where you are from) are Japanese rice balls, typically stuffed with a salty filling and wrapped in nori. They are incredibly popular in Japan, available in convenience stores and from street vendors and containing a wide variety of fillings. Onigiri are eaten as a quick on-the-go meal, as a snack, or in a bento (or, if you are me, anytime). They are quick and easy to make and you can fill them with anything.

I will start by pointing out that onigiri is *not* sushi. The rice is not sweetened and vinegared (although it may be lightly salted), thus disqualifying it (since we all know, sushi is all about the rice). Traditionally, onigiri are shaped like triangles, circles, cylinders or spheres, but you can buy molds to press them into more exotic shapes, if you wish. I like to make a bunch of them for mushroom-hunting excursions up into the Cascade mountains, or smaller onigiri for parties. You might want to make a few of them to practice, as it can be tricky at first to form the onigiri without having it fall apart on you. I’m going to cover the basic technique I use, and make a traditional, triangle-shape onigiri with an umeboshi filling, wrapped in nori.

Step 1 – Place the umeboshi, mirin and toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl. Crush and mix with a spoon until combined.

Step 2 – Scoop about 1/2 a cup of rice in a rice bowl. Spoon the umeboshi mixture into the center and cover with another 1/4 cup of rice.

Step 3 – Wet and lightly salt your hands. Scoop the rice from the bowl, carefully molding into a ball shape. Don’t smash the rice, just softly work it into a ball.

Step 4 – Turn the rice with both hands, flattening (carefully) and shaping into a triangle. You want to make sure the filling stays in the middle. You may need to re-wet and salt your hands to keep the rice from sticking – not too wet, though, or the rice ball will fall apart.

Step 5 – Once you are happy with the triangular shape, wrap the half sheet of nori around the rice ball. You may also use an entire sheet, completely encasing the onigiri (which is my favorite way to do it). You may enjoy now or pack into your bento for lunchtime. I like to wrap the onigiri in saran wrap with a tiny bit of oil so it won’t stick, butit’s up to you.

Variations

Fillings for onigiri are virtually endless. My favorites are sweet simmered shiitake, salmon shioyaki, tuna salad, nukazuke pickles and the umeboshi featured in this recipe. What are your favorite onigiri fillings? Please share in the comments below!