The kind of rice you need is short-grain Japanese sushi rice. It may be sold as “sushi rice” or under a similar label. Some Italian medium-grain rices like arborio can be used as a substitute. If you have a strainer, you can use it to wash the rice. Put the rice in and stir it while the water flows over it.
Washing and drying the rice not only cleans it but improves its flavor. It won’t make the rice less sticky.
You can always use a rice cooker to prepare perfect sushi rice.
If you still see a little bit of water in the pot, cook the rice for another minute.
Avoid letting the rice cool completely. It needs to be warm in order to stick together. You can put salmon shavings or ikura with salmon eggs. Put plum inside onigiri. Or do furikake seaweed seasoning.
The best time to cook the fillings is while the rice soaks. Another way to make a salmon filling is to use canned salmon. Canned salmon is already cooked, so you can add it directly to the rice. You can also mix it with mayonnaise, similar to a tuna filling.
If you live near an Asian market, you can buy umeboshi. You may also be able to order it online. Umeboshi tends to taste only slightly sour. The blandness of the rice balances it out.
This filling is called okaka. Bonito flakes may be sold as katsuobushi. The trick with okaka is to avoid adding too much soy sauce. Moisten the bonito flakes, but make sure soy doesn’t accumulate at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the soy in a drop at a time if you need to.
Japanese mayonnaise works best for this recipe. It is made with egg yolks and rice vinegar, so it tastes creamier and sweeter than standard mayonnaise.
Many people even use leftover meat from dinner in their onigiri! Drain the liquid out of any filling you use so the onigiri doesn’t get soggy. Avoid using fillings with ingredients that spoil if you’re planning on leaving your onigiri out of the refrigerator for a while.
The seaweed strips are used to give you a way to pick up the onigiri without touching the sticky rice. You can make yours without seaweed if you don’t mind this. You can also use bigger nori strips. Cut the seaweed sheets into thirds. These larger strips are often wrapped all the way around the onigiri.
Using the water makes creating the onigiri much easier. The salt is traditionally used to keep the rice fresher for longer. Kosher salt works best, but you can use table salt. Table salt has a stronger taste, so be careful to avoid adding too much.
You can set the rice down on a cutting board or piece of plastic wrap. In fact, you can use plastic wrap to mold onigiri without touching it. Closing up the plastic wrap forces the onigiri into a ball. [13] X Research source Another way to shape the onigiri is with an onigiri mold. Set the mold on a cutting board, then stuff it with rice. You can purchase both triangular and circular molds.
Avoid pushing your finger all the way through the rice. Widen the well as needed to keep the filling in place.
Err on the side of caution when adding filling. You need just enough to fill the center of the rice ball.
Using the proper amount of pressure is important. Squeezing too lightly or too hard causes the rice to fall apart. Some people find triangular onigiri to be easier to make. Hold the thumb, forefinger, and middle finger of your free hand in an L-shape. After folding the ends of the rice mound over the filling, use your fingers to mold the onigiri into a triangle.
Larger strips of nori work particularly well with triangular onigiri. For instance, wrap the nori around the top sides of the triangle so the ends meet on the front surface. The nori forms a little coat. You do not have to use nori if you don’t want it. You can also top your onigiri with extras, including more filling, roe, or sesame seeds.
Salty fillings like umeboshi last the longest, even when left outside of the refrigerator. Onigiri with perishable ingredients like fish and mayonnaise spoil faster. You can also freeze the onigiri. Store them in a labeled freezer bag after wrapping them individually. They will last about 3 months and can be reheated in the microwave.
