Simple Onigiri
I love trying Japanese recipes, but I'm a really picky eater so most of the ingredients don't go
over so well with me. That's why I love onigiri (japanese rice balls) - they're simple enough that you'll love them whether
or not you're a picky eater, and no matter what you love they always match up just right! This is my
simple version of how to make onigiri that I always use :)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Niko Niko Calrose Rice
- 5 cups Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- about 2 tbsp of my special salt solution
- nori (dried seaweed) (optional)
- any onigiri fillings you might want
**To make the special salt solution: mix equal parts soy sauce and salt water thoroughly.
If you want really salty rice balls you can use some on your hands instead of water when kneading
the rice balls. Dipping your onigiri mould in it before use works too. You might want to skip it if you
have any cuts on your hands though...
- Mix 1 tsp salt into 5 cups water. Add this to the rice.
- Cook the rice. Either use a rice cooker or follow the instructions on the bag. You can use
different quantities of rice, but be sure to maintain that 3:5 rice to water ratio. It makes
the rice stickier.
- Wet your hands with either water or special salt solution. While the rice is still warm, use
your wet hands to form the rice into balls. Add any fillings you'd like (Alternatively, wet your
onigiri mould with water or special salt solution and use that instead).
- If you want to, decorate the onigiri with nori.
Handy-dandy Tip!
If you want to keep the onigiri in the refrigerator, be sure to seal them in an air-tight container.
However, refrigeration will make the onigiri very dry, so when you reheat them in a microwave cover them with
a soaking wet paper towel. That way they'll absorb the moisture from it and be good as new :D