Japanese recipes

Onigiri

Stuffed with a variety of fillings and flavours, these rice balls are fun to make and are the perfect lunch box snack. Why not give it a go!

Yuki Gomi is a Japanese chef, food writer and cookery teacher. Her mission is to educate and share just how simple, nourishing and delicious Japanese food can be.

4 persons/serving

60 min

Ingredients

Instructions

Ingredients

Gohan

2 cups Japanese rice
2 ½ cups water

Salmon Onigiri

200g salmon fillet
1 tsp toasted white sesame
2 cups water
1 tbs sake (optional)
A pinch of salt
1 bowl Japanese cooked rice (Gohan)
Sheet of nori seaweed paper (cut lengthwise into thirds)
A piece of Japanese pickled plum (Umeboshi)
2 tbs black sesame
1 bowl Japanese cooked rice (Gohan)
Sheet of nori seaweed paper (cut lengthwise into thirds)

Tuna miso mayo Onigiri

100g tinned tuna in brine
1tbs mayonnaise
1tsp miso
½ tsp ground Sesame seeds
2tbs fine chopped chives
1 bowl Japanese cooked rice (Gohan)
A pinch of salt
Sheet of nori seaweed paper (cut lengthwise into thirds)
Toasted sesame seeds

Cooking instruction

To prepare the rice, wash thoroughly in a sieve for 2-4 minutes. Constantly turn the rice over until water turns clear.
Drain the rice and transfer it into a pan with 2 ½ cups of water. Leave it stand for 30 minutes in cold water. For best results, leave it for 1-2 hours.
Bring to the boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it stand with the lid on for 5 minutes.
Mix gently with a spatula or Japanese wooden spoon ‘Shamoji’ and serve into the rice bowl.
To poach salmon, sprinkle salt on salmon fillet.
In a shallow pan, bring 2 cups of water to the boil.
Place the salmon into the pan and add in a splash of sake. Cover with the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes until completely cooked.
Remove from the pan and pat dry with a paper towel.
Flake the salmon with a fork.
In a bowl, mix together 2 tbs of salmon flakes, sesame seeds and ¼ cup of cooked Japanese rice. This makes your salmon rice.
For a vegetarian/ vegan option: in a bowl, mix together a ¼ cup of cooked Japanese rice, black sesame seeds and a pinch of salt.
The umeboshi will be in the centre of the onigiri.
Drain the brine from the tuna.
In a bowl, mix together the tuna, mayo, miso and ground sesame seeds. The tuna mayo will be placed in the centre of the onigiri.
In another bowl, mix together a ¼ cup of cooked Japanese rice, chopped chives and a pinch of salt.
Cut a full sized sheet of Nori seaweed paper into thirds, lengthwise.
Wet both of your hands with water to avoid rice sticking to your hands.
Put a pinch of salt in your palms. Spread and rub around.
Place a handful of cooked flavoured rice (salmon, black sesame seed or chives) into one hand and push the centre to create a small well for your choice of filling. (Skip this method for salmon onigiri)
Put an umeboshi or teaspoon of the tuna mayo the centre of the rice.
Mould the rice with your hands around the centre to cover your filling completely.
Gradually mould into a triangular shape.
Wrap the nori strip around the onigiri.

Plating and Serving

Garnish the onigiri with leftover filling.

Yuki’s Tips

If you find it tricky to shape the onigiri by hand, you can buy an onigiri mould online or at your local Japanese store.
You can use foil, beeswax paper, cling film or parchment paper to wrap the onigiri.
For the salmon onigiri, you can grill the salmon instead of poaching.

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