Onigiri

Onigiri – Japanese rice balls compressed into a triangle. I made them two ways, plain and fried. 

Onigiri is a classic Japanese snack that you see in almost every bento box. It can be shaped into a ball, a cylinder, a triangle or any creative shape that strikes your fancy. 

Onigiri can be plain, stuffed or just seasoned. 

Plain are partially wrapped with a strip of nori to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers. 

It can be stuffed with a variety of fillings or seasoned with various seasoning.

I stuffed mine with finely chopped cucumber mixed with a bit of Japanese mayo. Turned out good. 

I saw them fried somewhere in Japan so decided to fry a few in a little oil in a non-stick skillet. I really liked the outer layer of crispy rice that frying them yielded. 

You can shape by hand but I have a mould for making them. Fill the mould and press it out. Very easy to make. 

Onigiri:

2 cups sushi rice
2.5 cups water
Rinse well and soak the rice for an hour. 
Drain well and place in a pot with the water. 
Add a pinch of salt and cook until water is absorbed and rice cooked through. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 min. 

Combine finely diced cucumber with a little Japanese mayo.

Press rice into the molds, press cucumber filling in the center and top with rice. Cover, press then unmold.

Wrap with a strip of nori and roll in sesame seeds. 

Serve them with Japanese pickles and soy sauce.