Rodys Fried Onigiri Food

YAKI ONIGIRI (GRILLED RICE BALLS)

Steps:

• Allow the cooked rice to cool down to a point where you can handle it with your hands. Be sure not to let it completely cool. Cover the rice cooker bowl with a damp towel as you work to prevent the rice from drying out.
• Wet your hands with water and rub vinegar between your hands. Dip our pointer finger into some salt and rub between your hands, this will help prevent the rice from sticking to your hands. Take about 1/4 heaping cup of rice and shape into a onigiri, either a circle or triangle shape. See my guide to making onigiri for in depth instructions. You can also use a onigiri mold.
• Lightly oil a pan over medium heat. Grill each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip them once to prevent the onigiri from breaking. You can also grill the 3 sides of the onigiri if making triangle shaped onigiri.
• Bring the heat to a medium low and generously brush with the sauce. Flip and brush the other side with sauce while the previous side cooks (takes around 15-20 seconds, be sure to not let it burn). Flip once more to grill the other side. Remove from the pan, serve and enjoy!

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 (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.

COUSCOUS ONIGIRI

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave one minute, stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds to one minute, until soy milk starts foaming.
• Remove from microwave and let cool. Press into onigiri molds and place in fridge for one hour. Gently remove from the molds. Done!
• I made these the night before, and they kept their shape overnight and had a wonderful, soft texture when eaten cold the next day.
• NOTE 1: You can vary the flavours significantly by using different types of soy or rice milk, and bu changing the seasoning a little. I made these with vanilla soy milk and cinnamon, but you could use other flavours too.
• NOTE 2: If you do not have onigiri molds, you can use small plastic containers to shape the onigiri, or you can improvise a mold using a cookie cutter, in this fashion:.
• Place the cookie cutters on a plate. Press the couscous into them as you would for a mold, packing the mixture very tightly. Cover the plate with plastic wrap or with a dish cover. Refrigerate as you would for a mold, and proceed as above.

TAKIKOMI GOHAN ONIGIRI

Steps:

• Start by washing the rice to remove the excess starch. Do it 2-3 times until the water used to wash the rice becomes clear. After washing, soak in water for about 30 minutes. Then, use a strainer to drain for about 5 minutes before using.
• Soak the shiitake in water for about 20 minutes before using. Then, remove the hard stem part of the mushroom and chop the head part into fine pieces. Reserve the water used to soak the shiitake.
• Cut the root end of the shimeji mushrooms then separate the pieces individually.
• Cut the aburaage in half then slice it thinly.
• Peel the gobo then slice diagonally thinly. Gather the pieces then chop it into thin strips.
• Next, slice both the carrot and ginger into thin strips.
• Wash then dry the chicken with a paper towel. Then, chop it into smaller pieces about 2-centimeter cubes.
• Put the rice, vegetables and chicken in a pot, preferably heavy-bottomed with a tight lid.
• Combine the soy sauce, awamori, reserved shiitake water and dashi then mix all the liquids well. Pour it over the rice in the pot then mix all the ingredients.
• Turn the heat on to medium then bring the rice into a boil.
• Once the rice boils, reduce the heat to low then simmer until most of the liquid evaporates. Never open the pot but be careful not to burn the bottom part of the rice.
• Turn off the heat then keep the pot covered for about 10 more minutes. This process is important as this is the time when the rice will soften completely. Never open the pot while cooking the rice especially after you've turned off the heat.
• Mix the takikomi gohan then add salt to adjust taste. Let it cool but don't wait for it to become cold.
• Prepare a bowl with water which you will use to dampen your hands to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands as you shape the rice balls. A towel to wipe your hands will also come handy.
• Spoon out the takikomi gohan then put a handful on top of the palm of your hands. Use your two hands to shape the rice ball with the one hand holding the bottom while the other forming the rice into a somewhat triangular shape. Press the rice ball firm enough so it will hold its shape. It's important not to press the rice ball too firmly as it will make the rice ball hard once it cools completely.
• Cut out a rectangle from the nori sheet big enough so that it will reach the middle part of each side of the rice ball holding the base. Press the nori sheet onto the rice ball then wait for it to stick with the rice.

GRILLED SPICY TUNA ONIGIRI

Steps:

• Cook rice with a rice cooker. You'll need sticky rice.
• When the rice is ready, add 1T of sesame oil and a pinch of salt to rice.
• Mince onion and jalapeno.
• Heat 1-2T canola oil in a frying pan.
• Stir fry the minced onion and jalapeno. When the onion turns clear, add tuna and the sauce. Mix them together and continue to stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Place half of the rice on your palm, press down to make it flat, just thick enough to hold the tuna. (like a burger patty).
• Place the spicy tuna in the middle of the rice.
• Cover it up with the rest of the rice.
• Shape the rice into triangle or circle. Put a rectangular piece of dried seaweed on the bottom of the rice.
• Heat 2T canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place the rice and grill each side until they turn golden brown.

YAKI ONIGIRI (GRILLED JAPANESE RICE BALLS) WITH PICKLED SHIITAKES

Steps:

• Prepare the filling, if using: Add the shiitakes to a medium saucepan and top with cold water by a couple of inches. Stir to combine. Heat over medium-low just until bubbles start to break the surface. Cover and set aside to rehydrate for about 30 minutes. Once the mushrooms are tender, transfer them to a cutting board and thinly slice. (Save the mushroom stock for another use.) Toss sliced mushrooms with chile flakes, then transfer to a jar or lidded container. Top with soy sauce, mirin and rice vinegar. Cover and refrigerate. Let pickle at least 2 hours to develop flavor. They're even better after a few days and will keep refrigerated for up to 6 months.
• After the mushrooms have pickled (if using), prepare the rice: Add the rice to a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Rinse the grains to remove any excess starch, and cover rice with cold water by 1 or 2 inches. Swish them around with outstretched fingers, then drain the rice, repeating the process three or four times until the water goes from milky to just slightly cloudy.
• Pour 1 3/4 cups/420 milliliters water into the rinsed, drained rice, and give the rice a stir to distribute evenly. If time permits, let the rice soak for 15 to 30 minutes, which will help the grains cook even more evenly.
• Heat the rice over high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover it with the lid and reduce the heat to low or medium-low. You want a low heat that is still high enough to hear the rice bubbling. You should be able to see some steam escaping from the lid; turn the heat up slightly if necessary. Set a timer for 15 minutes and let it cook, undisturbed. (No peeking, or you'll lose precious moisture!)
• After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and gently fluff the rice using chopsticks or a fork. Put the lid back on and let sit for another 5 to 10 minutes to finish cooking in the residual heat. Tip the rice onto a baking sheet to cool slightly.
• While the rice cooks, prepare the miso sauce, if making hot, glazed yaki onigiri: In a small bowl, whisk together the miso, sesame oil, mirin, sugar, sake and rice vinegar until smooth and sugar has dissolved.
• Once the rice has cooled enough to be handled comfortably, brush a baking sheet lightly with neutral oil, so the onigiri don't stick, and prepare a bowl of water for rinsing your hand to prevent the rice from sticking. Form your onigiri. If using Japanese onigiri mold, press about 1/3 cup cooked rice in the bottom, press an indentation in the center to stuff with about 2 teaspoons of finely chopped filling, then top with another 1/3 cup layer of rice, pressing down with the top piece of your rice mold. Transfer onigiri to the greased baking sheet.
• If working by hand, you'll want to grab a large handful of rice, compress the rice into a ball in the palm of your hand, then press the sides to form a triangular shape, flattening it into a triangular patty. (This shaping process requires some finesse, but you can also form rounded balls and simply compress them into pucks.) Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, rinsing your hands as needed.
• If stuffing with mushrooms or other fillings, you'll need only a few finely chopped tablespoons: 1 to 3 teaspoons per onigiri, depending on the size of your rice rolls. Compress the first handful of rice in your palm. Add the filling to the center and fold the rice up the sides. (You want to make sure the filling is just in the center portion. If the rice doesn't create a seal, the onigiri will fall apart.) Top with another layer of rice and compress on all sides to form onigiri in the desired shape.
• Garnish with sesame seeds and wrap with a small rectangle of nori, if using, and serve immediately. (Onigiri can be prepared 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, but should come to room temperature before being consumed.)
• If making yaki onigiri, brush the top of the onigiri with miso sauce. Transfer to the oven and broil until the glaze forms a crust that is golden and lightly browned in spots, rotating if necessary, about 5 minutes. Carefully slip a flat spatula underneath to flip yaki onigiri; brush on the other side and broil until glazed on the second side, another 5 minutes. Garnish as you would onigiri.