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8 basic rice balls

Onigiri is a soul food for Japanese people
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course: all
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Tuna-mayo Onigiri
  • 1 small can Tuna (70g)
  • 2 tbs Japanese mayonnaise
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
  • 1 sheet Nori seaweed
Salted salmon Onigiri
  • 1 slice salmon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
  • 1 Shiso leaf
Okaka Onigiri
  • 1 tbs Katsuobushi
  • ½ tsp soy sauce
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
Ume Onigiri
  • 1 Umeboshi
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
Kombu Onigiri
  • 1 tsp Kombu Tsukudani
  • 1 sheet Shaved Kombu
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
Yaki Onigiri (pan-fried Onigiri)
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
  • 1 tbs Katsuobushi
  • ½ tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
Shio Onigiri
  • ⅓ tsp salt (=shio in Japanese)
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
Umeboshi and Egg Onigiri (Ume-tamago)
  • 1 Umeboshi
  • 1 bowl hot steamed rice (100g)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • a pinch of salt
Vinegary water (to moisten your palm)
  • 1 tsp vinegar　※any kind
  • ½ cup water

Equipment

  • rice cooker or pot, frying pan

Method
 

Cooking rice
  1. Rinse your rice and cook in a rice cooker or a pot.
  2. Add one Umeboshi into the pot. ※Umeboshi works as natural preservative.
Tuna-mayo Onigiri
  1. Put tuna into a small bowl. Add in mayonnaise and smash the tuna into super fine.
  2. Scoop rice into a rice bowl half way, put tuna mayo in the center, add more rice right on top.
  3. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  4. Wrap around Nori seaweed.
Salted salmon Onigiri
  1. Sprinkle 1.0~1.2% salt of the weight of your salmon. Let it sit over night.
  2. Line a piece of parchment paper onto your frying pan. Line salted salmon and cook on medium with the lid on. Cook 5 mins. then flip it over. Cook 3 more mins or until done.
  3. Crumble the salmon. You can keep the salmon flakes up to 5 days in the fridge.
  4. Scoop rice into a rice bowl half way, put salmon flakes in the center, add more rice right on top.
  5. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  6. Wrap around Shiso leaf.
Okaka Onigiri
  1. Moisten Katsuobushi with soy sauce. It's called Okaka.
  2. Scoop rice into a rice bowl half way, put Okaka in the center, add more rice right on top.
  3. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  4. Wrap around Nori seaweed.
Umeboshi And Egg Onigiri
  1. Beat your egg and add a pinch of salt. Heat a frying pan and add a teaspoon of sesame oil. Make a fine scrumble egg.
  2. Mix scrumbled egg, Umeboshi, Shio kombu with 2 bowls of rice.
  3. Moisten your hand with vinegary water and take a pinch of salt on to your palm.
Shio (salt) Onigiri
  1. Scoop rice into a rice bowl to cool down a bit. Moisten your hand with vinegary water and take a pinch of salt on to your palm.
  2. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  3. Wrap around Nori seaweed.
Umeboshi Onigiri
  1. Scoop rice into a rice bowl half way, put Umeboshi in the center, add more rice right on top.
  2. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  3. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  4. Wrap around Nori seaweed.
Kombu kelp
  1. Scoop rice into a rice bowl half way, put Umeboshi in the center, add more rice right on top.
  2. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle.
  3. Wrap around thinly shaved kombu or nori.
Yaki Onigiri (pan-fried Onigiri)
  1. Moisten Katsuobushi with soy sauce. It's called Okaka.
  2. Mix Okaka with rice. Take out rice onto your vinegary-water-moistened-palm and gently squash rice. Shape into triangle. ※Squash α little bit hader for this recipe.
  3. Heat your Tamagoyaki pan on medium, grease the surface with sesame oil. Panfry Onigiri on both side.
  4. Brush soy sauce and mirin on both side, panfry it on low heat until fragrant.