Traditional Onigiri (Rice Balls)
The ultimate Japanese soul food and lunchbox staple. Warm, fluffy short-grain rice is gently molded into a thick triangle, stuffed with a deeply savory filling like salted salmon or pickled plum, and wrapped in a crisp sheet of Nori seaweed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Hot freshly cooked short-grain white rice
- 1 tbsp Salt for your hands
- 1 fillet Salted Salmon grilled and flaked, for filling
- 1 Umeboshi pickled plum, pitted and mashed, for filling
- 2 sheets Nori seaweed cut into thick strips
Instructions
- Prepare the Fillings: Have your savory fillings ready in small bowls. Traditional options include flaked salted salmon, mashed Umeboshi (pickled plum), or tuna mixed with mayonnaise.
- Wet and Salt Hands (Crucial Step): The rice must be shaped while it is still steaming hot. Thoroughly wet your hands with cold water to prevent sticking. Rub a generous pinch of salt evenly over your wet palms to season the outside of the rice ball and preserve it.
- Shape the Base: Take a handful (about 1/2 cup) of the hot rice and place it in the palm of one hand. Use your thumb to press a deep indentation into the center of the rice.
- Stuff and Mold: Place a generous spoonful of your chosen filling into the indentation. Gently fold the rice over to completely enclose the filling. Cup your hands into a ‘V’ shape and press firmly but gently, rotating the rice ball, to mold it into a thick, neat triangle. Do not mash the rice grains!
- Wrap and Serve: Take a crisp strip of Nori seaweed and wrap it around the base or the entire triangle of the rice ball. Eat immediately while the rice is soft and the seaweed is crunchy.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!