L-M-N-Ongiri

Kon’nichiwa! We just came back from an at-home trip to Japan and boy, are we stuffed. As you know, Lauren and I are BIG fans of Asian cuisine and since we can’t hop on a plane or even stop by our favorite restaurants we did what we do best, make it ourselves!

Onigiri are rice balls that hail from Japan. They can be eaten during any time of day and prepared in a number of ways. Back the time of the refrigerator, onigiri was another way for the Japanese to use up leftovers before they could spoil. According to this website though, there is usually one golden rule: there at the very least needs to be rice! Nori (or dried seaweed) is optional though usually added. You can also grill onigiri. It should be noted that onigiri is not another type of sushi. According to this article, onigiri rice is prepared with only a little bit of salt for flavor, whereas sushi is prepared with a slurry of vinegar, sugar, and salt. It is recommended for both that you use short grain rice.

Since I had my first taste of it in San Francisco, you know we had to try to make some for ourselves. So, we ordered an onigiri mold and took it for a test-run. It’s  plastic triangle just like one you use for playdough or cookie cutters but it has a stamp that fits inside. You can use your hands, but it requires a lot of work and using the mold is just as fun. We have the steps laid out here.

1. Lay your nori on a mat with the rough side up (Shiny side down)
2. Place the mold on top of the nori just above the middle area
3. Fill the bottom of the mold with your rice and stamp it down flat
4. Place your filling in the center of the triangle. You can use whatever you like, but make sure it’s all cut into teeny-tiny pieces. Don’t over-stuff it.
   
5. Cover your filling with a layer of rice and stamp it flat just like you did on the bottom. Make sure you remove the mold carefully.
   
6. Fold your nori starting from the bottom to the top, then fold the corners inside the top point. Use water on the edges to help keep things from unfolding.
   

Onigiri is a great to-go nosh full of vegetables and proteins depending upon how you fill it. We used avocado, cucumber, and shrimp in ours. But if you prefer carrot, ginger, strawberry, cream cheese, beef, leftover corn mush, peppers, bean paste, Who am I kidding? This list is ENDLESS and on top of that the endless possibility of combinations. You get the picture. Please send a picture to our Facebook page of your creations. You might just be our next inspiration. As they say in Pappyland, “There’s no limitation to your imagination!” See you soon.