Easy Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
- Ingredients
- 2 cups short-grain sticky Japanese rice
- 2 cups water
- Nori (seaweed) sheets
- Water for molding onigiri
- Possible fillings
- Umeboshi (salted plums)
- Dried bonito (fish) flakes mixed with soy sauce
- Tuna or chicken salad
- Takuwan (pickled daikon)
- Miso or red bean paste
- Spam (for a Hawaiian version)
- Flaked or smoked salmon
- Ingredients that can be mixed with rice
- Black sesame seeds
- Salt
- Dried bonito (fish) flakes
- Tools
- 6- to 8-cup pot with lid
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large glass or wooden bowl
- Spatula or flat wooden spoon
- Clean, damp kitchen towel
- 2 medium glass bowls
- Small bowls for individual ingredients
- Scissors
- Hole punch
- Large platter
- Plastic wrap or small cellophane bags
- Adult-Only Prep
- 1. Place 2 cups rice in 6- to 8-cup pot. Cover rice with water and use your hand to move the rice around in the pot. The water will become cloudy with the rice’s excess starch. Pour off the water (taking care not to pour the rice down the drain) and repeat three to four times until the water runs almost clear.
- 2. Add 2 cups water to the pot, give it a gentle stir, and heat on high on the stove, bringing the water and rice to a boil. Then cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer on low for 10 minutes without removing the lid.
- 3. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot rest on the stove for 10 more minutes.
- 4. Scoop out the rice into a large bowl. Use a spatula or flat wooden spoon to slice through the rice, spreading it out to cool. Let sit 4 minutes.
- 5. Use spatula or spoon to flip sections of the rice over. Once you have flipped all of the rice over, let the rice sit for another 4 minutes.
- 6. Use spatula or spoon to gently stir the rice, letting more heat escape and cover with a damp towel. Set aside.
- 7. Place any ingredients you will be using to stuff or mix with the rice in their own separate containers. Set aside.
- Kid Prep
- 1. Wash hands well.
- 2. Have kids cut the sheets of nori into shapes to decorate the onigiri. Use a hole punch to make circles for eyes, then cut strips or triangles for mouths, etc. Cut some sheets into 1-inch strips, then cut the strips in half.
- Family Onigiri Assembly
- 1. For stuffed onigiri, wet hands and take about ¼ to ½ cup rice in one hand and press it together, forming a flat ball. Place 1 or 2 teaspoons of a filling of your choice in the center of the flat ball. Place some additional rice over the filling and bring hands together, squeezing the ball and compressing the rice around the filling.
- 2. Dip hands into the bowl and move on to the next step.
- 3. For mixed-rice onigiri, take a cup of the cooked rice and place it in a medium-size mixing bowl. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of whatever ingredients you’d like to the rice. Use a spatula or spoon to mix the ingredients together. Wet hands and take about ¼ to ½ cup rice in one hand and press it together, squeezing the ball and compressing the rice into desired shape. Dip hands into the bowl of water and move on to the next step.
- 4. To decorate: Use the nori, black sesame seeds, bonito, etc., to create faces and designs on the onigiri.
- 5. To serve: Place the onigiri on a platter to serve right away, or place in disposable or glass containers to take to school or work or a family outing. You can also individually wrap the onigiri in plastic wrap.
- Note: Nori can become soggy when it’s wrapped around onigiri too long. If packing for an outing or lunch, pack the nori separately, and use it to wrap your onigiri before eating so that it stays crunchy and fresh.
Adult Supervision Recommended
