Onigiri Japanese Rice Balls Food

YAKI ONIGIRI (GRILLED RICE BALL)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients. Cook the rice with a rice cooker, a pot over the stove, an instant pot, or a donabe. Let the cooked rice cool a little bit until you can hold rice without burning your hands. Do not let the rice completely cool down.

ONIGIRI - JAPANESE RICE BALLS

Steps:

• Wash the rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Combine washed rice and 4 1/2 cups 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, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rice rest, for 15 minutes to allow the rice to continue to steam and become tender. Allow cooked rice to cool.
• Combine 1 cup water with the salt in a small bowl. Use this water to dampen hands before handling the rice. Divide the cooked rice into 8 equal portions. Use one portion of rice for each onigiri.
• Divide one portion of rice in two. Create a dimple in the rice and fill with a heaping teaspoon of bonito flakes. 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. Repeat to make a total of 8 onigiri.

ONIGIRI (JAPANESE RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups water, rice, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent rice from sticking, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool rice until easily handled, about 10 minutes.
• Fill a small bowl with water. Place 2 tablespoons of salt in another small bowl.
• Dip hands in water and rub salt over hands. Take a handful of warm rice and form it into a ball. Gently squish ball; with your hands in an "L" or "C" shape, apply gentle pressure to the sides to make a triangle shape.
• Wrap a strip of nori around the triangle, using a bit of water to help it stick if necessary.

HOW TO MAKE ONIGIRI (JAPANESE RICE BALLS) | ULTIMATE GUIDE

Steps:

• First rinse 3 cups of short grain rice and then add it into the rice cooker. Fill with water until the 3 mark line* and allow the rice to cook. In the meantime, cut up some nori sheets (refer to information and photos above).
• Once the rice is finished cooking, let it rest for 5-10 minutes in the rice cooker. In the meantime, set up your work station. You should have a small bowl of salt, water, furikake and your fillings ready to be used. As well, keep a tray or container close by to place your finished rice balls on.
• Open the rice cooker than gently mix the rice and cover with a damp cloth. Bring it over to your work station.
• Filled Onigiri: Place some rice into a medium size bowl and sprinkle some salt over. Mix with the rice paddle. Place a small scoop of rice (just enough to fill the bottom part of the mold) and gently press it in. Make a small indent in the middle and place 1 umeboshi (or 1/2-1 tbsp of some kind of filling) in the indent. Cover with more rice until 3/4 of the way full and then place the lid on top. Gently press down until it's formed into a rice ball. Lightly wet your hands and dab your pointer finger and middle finger in the salt and rub between your hands. Place the rice ball between your hands and cup it (like if you were to hand-mold the onigiri). This just ensures the rice ball is salted throughout for preserving longer. Place onto a tray or container and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until you make as many as you desire.
• Seasoned Onigiri: Place some rice into a medium size bowl and sprinkle some Furikake or Yukari Shiso in. Mix with the rice paddle. Place a scoop of rice until 3/4 of the way full and then place the lid on top. Gently press down until it's formed into a rice ball. Lightly wet your hands and dab your pointer finger in the salt and rub between your hands. Place the rice ball between your hands and cup it (like if you were to hand-mold the onigiri). Place onto a tray or container and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until you make as many as you desire.
• Filled Onigiri: Place some rice into a medium size bowl and sprinkle some salt over. Mix with the rice paddle. Wet your hands and dab your pointer finger and middle finger in the salt, rub between your hands. Place a scoop of rice in the middle of your hand (around 1/3 - 1/2 cup) and gently press it in your palm. Make a small indent in the middle and add 1 pitted umeboshi or 1/2-1 tbsp of filling. With the hand holding the rice ball, curl your hand more and slowly cover the filling with rice from the side. Shape it into a ball or rounded triangle by gently pressing between your two hands. Place onto a tray or container and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until you make as many as you desire.
• Seasoned Onigiri: Place some rice into a medium size bowl and sprinkle some Furikake or Yukari Shiso in. Mix with the rice paddle. Wet your hands and dab your pointer finger and middle finger in the salt, rub between your hands. Place a scoop of rice (around 1/3 - 1/2 cup) on to your hand and shape into a ball or rounded triangle. Place onto a tray or container and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat until you make as many as you desire.
• If eating immediately, wrap your rice balls with the roasted cut up nori sheets and serve.
• If eating later, wrap your onigiri with some cling wrap or place in a bento box. Place the nori in a separate container to keep them crisp. Wrap the rice balls before eating.

ONIGIRI (RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Sprinkle the salmon fillet with salt and let stand for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, wash the rice thoroughly in cold water 30 to 60 minutes before cooking and let drain in colander. Place rice and water in a heavy, tightly covered saucepan over medium-high heat. When water just begins to boil, turn the heat to high and let it come to a vigorous boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice, about 12 to 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Using a flat wooden spoon or rice paddle, fluff the rice with a cutting motion. Stretch a towel under the lid and cover tightly to keep warm until ready to use.
• Toast the nori sheets over a high gas flame, and cut crosswise into 1-inch wide strips, or use pre-toasted nori.
• Mix the bonito flakes with the soy sauce. Rinse the salt off the salmon, pat dry, and grill for 3 to 5 minutes. Use a fork to break the salmon into small pieces.
• Wet your hands with salted water to keep the rice from sticking to your hands. Cup one hand and place a handful of rice, about 1/2 cup, in your hand. Make an indentation in the rice and tuck in one of the fillings: a teaspoon of soaked bonito flakes, a few flakes of salmon, or a few pieces of pickled plum. Close the rice over the filling and mold it into a triangular shape. Mold the rice firmly, pressing just hard enough to hold it together. Set the rice triangle down on one of its sides and cover the top peak with a strip of nori, shiny side out, like a roof. You can also make cylindrical shapes and wrap the nori around the middle. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice shapes. These are great lunch treats.

ONIGIRI (JAPANESE RICE BALL)

Steps:

• Place a cutting board in front of you and arrange salmon and the onigiri ingredients around it.
• Add ¼ of the cooked rice to a tea cup or a small rice bowl of 150-180ml (5-6 oz), then turn it over and place the rice on the cutting board.
• Wet your finger with water and make a well in the centre of the rice using your finger.
• Add ¼ of the salmon pieces to the well.
• Wet both palms of your hands with water, then take about ¼ of the salt and rub both palms together to spread the salt over them.
• Pick up the rice from both sides by making a cup with your hands so that the rice will sit in your palms.
• Using your thumbs, press down the salmon and then gather the rice around to cover the salmon and bury it in the centre (note 5) and make a rice ball.
• Place the rice ball on the palm of the left hand, then place your right hand over the rice ball perpendicular to your left hand.
• Then using mainly three fingers (index finger, middle finger and ring finger), squeeze the rice ball with both hands to shape it into a triangle. The left hand should control the thickness of the onigiri to make it about 4cm (1 ½") thick and the right hand should shape the triangle. Press firmly but not too tight (note 6).
• While pressing firmly, occasionally roll the triangle and press to make the onigiri more like an equilateral triangle.
• Place the onigiri in the centre of a yaki nori sheet and cover both sides of the triangular surface with yaki nori.
• Repeat for the remaining 3 onigiri (note 7).

JAPANESE RICE BALLS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut each nori sheet (if using) into 8 or 9 strips and put about a 1/2 cup of steamed rice in a rice bowl.
• Wet your hands with water so that rice won't stick.
• Rub some salt on your wet hands.
• Place steamed rice in your hand and form into a triangle, making sure it is dense and thick.
• Put your favorite filling, such as umeboshi or grilled salmon, on rice and push the filling into rice lightly.
• Hold rice between palms.
• Form rice into a round, a triangle, or a cylinder by pressing lightly with both palms, securing filling in the middle. Roll rice ball in your hands a few times, pressing lightly.
• Wrap rice ball with a strip or two of nori (if using), or sprinkle some sesame seeds on them (if using).

ONIGIRI (RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Sprinkle salmon with salt and let sit for 30 minute.
• Grill or fry the salmon until the edges are a little bit burned.
• When cool, flake salmon into small pieces and set aside.
• Cut nori into 8 equally sized, rectangular strips.
• Put warm rice in a bowl and combine with salmon and sesame seeds.
• Put a pinch of salt on your hands and take a 1/2 cup ball of rice.
• Form the rice into either a round or triangular shape br pressing lightly with both of your palms.
• Wrap a strip of nori around each rice ball.

ONIGIRI (JAPANESE RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Cook the rice.
• Keep it warm, but let it cool enough so that it won't burn your hands.
• Cut each nori sheet into 9 strips.
• Wet your hands and sprinkle them with salt to prevent the rice from sticking to them.
• Mold a handful of rice into a triangular shape with an indentation in the middle.
• Press a piece of umeboshi into the indentation you left.
• Wrap the rice and umeboshi in Nori strips.
• Serve immediately or save for later.

ONIGIRI (JAPANESE RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.