Onigiri is often used as a bento menu (lunch). Onigiri is also great for a picnic or a simple snack. What does onigiri mean? Onigiri is a Japanese word meaning "rice ball" or musubi, meaning "to hold" (rice that can be held). Onigiri has various types because it can be filled with various food ingredients (or just rice). This article will teach you how to make triangular onigiri.
Ingredients
- Rice
- Filling ingredients (tuna, mayo/beef, and broccoli)
- Water
- Seaweed
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Optional:
- Vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
Step
Step 1. Follow the guide on how to cook rice
Keep in mind that the rice must be cooked according to the Japanese style of rice for easy sticking. However, you can leave the rice in the pan for 20-30 minutes before turning on the rice cooker or cooking it to make the rice stickier.
Step 2. Let the rice cool for a few minutes before processing it
While waiting, make the filling (if you want, as this step is optional). Place the tuna and mayo in a bowl, chop the vegetables, meat, etc. while waiting for the rice to cool.
Step 3. Place a cutting board or wax paper on the table and thoroughly wet your hands with salt water
This will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands (although some grains of rice will still stick) and keep your hands cool even if you touch the hot rice. Take some rice with a spoon or rice spoon.
Step 4. Make a deep hole (but not through to the other side) in the rice ball
The hole is where the filling material is and must be deep enough.
Step 5. Insert the filling materials into the hole
Make sure not to overfill it. Fold the rice over the hole to cover the filling. If you press too lightly, the rice won't stick and crumble when you eat it. However, if you press too hard, the rice will become mushy. To shape the rice into a triangle, make an "L" shape with your hands.
Step 6. Cover the onigiri with the nori (seaweed)
You can form it into a sheet or wrap the entire surface of the rice ball with seaweed. The seaweed will keep the rice from sticking to your hands and keep the shape of the rice balls intact.
Step 7. Cover the onigiri with plastic wrap or put it in a lunch box
Enjoy!
Tips
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Forming rice balls:
- Dip your hands in the salt water to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands as you shape it.
- If you are having trouble covering the rice balls with the filling, form two rice balls that have been filled with the filling and put them together with the salt water solution (to help you flatten and hold them together).
- Try to get all the liquid out of the filling, as wet filling will make the onigiri mushy, unappealing, and messy.
- Don't just eat onigiri for lunch. Onigiri can also be a breakfast menu or snack.
- A solution of salt, rice vinegar and water will make the rice stickier and therefore more beneficial if your rice balls tend to stick together.
- Don't use ingredients that go stale if left too long (such as raw fish) unless you can refrigerate the stock.
- Seaweed doesn't have to be in onigiri.
- Add vinegar or salt to the rice for extra flavor. Or, make a solution of vinegar, salt, and sugar, and slowly pour the solution over the hot rice while cutting and folding it. Don't add too much of the solution so it doesn't taste too much and can make the rice taste better.
- If you like onigiri, you can buy onigiri molds, which are generally made of plastic and are relatively inexpensive. Some lunch boxes also come with onigiri prints that match the boxed lunches when they are sold.
- You can use any type of rice you want. Medium-sized white rice and brown rice are the best types of rice to make with onigiri molds.
