Our household’s favourite rice ball mixture is Salmon and Shio Kombu Onigiri. For this Japanese bento basic, I take advantage of salmon flakes for savory protein and salted kelp strips for his or her deep briny taste. I additionally combine in refreshing shiso and myoga ginger together with crunchy toasted sesame seeds. It’s a scrumptious umami taste bomb that’s good for lunch at house, work, faculty, or a picnic with buddies.
My bento-making journey has developed since I began to make bento for youths in elementary faculty. Now that each children are in highschool, they need to eat one thing rapidly as they get busy with membership conferences throughout their brief lunch break. JOC followers and my native buddies have all the time requested me what sort of lunch I pack for my children nowadays, so right here I’m sharing what I make for his or her lunch just lately.
What’s Onigiri?
Onigiri (おにぎり), generally referred to as Nigirimeshi (握り飯) or Omusubi (おむすび), is a Japanese rice ball. Usually formed right into a triangle, however generally a cylinder or spherical form, onigiri has been Japan’s lunch and snack choices for hundreds of years.
Onigiri’s wealthy historical past will be dated again virtually 2,000 years to the Yayoi Interval (200 B.C. to A.D. 250) once we see reference to grilled rice balls created from sticky rice. Within the Nara Interval (710-794), the phrase nigiri-ii (握飯) is used for packed rice. Tonjiki (屯食) refers to rice balls for picnics through the Heian Interval (794-1185), and that is the origin of the current onigiri form. Samurai ate umeboshi (pickled plum) rice balls through the Kamakura Interval (1185-1333). We don’t see nori getting used as a wrapper till the Edo Interval (1603-1868).
The Japanese eat numerous onigiri rising up and nonetheless proceed to eat as an grownup: It’s a real consolation meals to many.
Numerous Onigiri Flavors
Identical to sandwiches, we make onigiri with all types of components. Conventional fillings embrace Japanese pickled plum (umeboshi), bonito flakes and soy sauce (okaka), salted salmon (sha-ke), simmered kombu seaweed, (spicy) salted cod roe (mentaiko or tarako), a combination of tuna and Japanese mayonnaise (tsuna mayo).
👉🏻🍙 Should you’re new to creating Japanese rice balls, head over to this put up to be taught the fundamentals of onigiri.
In in the present day’s recipe, I’m sharing our household’s favourite, and the one which my children mentioned they will eat on daily basis. The mix is salmon flakes, shio kombu, shiso leaves, myoga ginger, and sesame seeds.
What’s Shio Kombu?
Shio kombu (塩昆布) is strips of kombu which have been boiled in soy sauce and different components, dried, after which lower into items.
These kombu strips are sometimes used as an accompaniment to rice. However an increasing number of, cooks each in Japan and abroad are utilizing shio kombu in a variety of dishes, from stir fries to omelettes to salads. I began to see extra eating places in San Francisco using this ingredient. Should you occur to see it throughout your subsequent grocery procuring, seize a package deal and provides this recipe a strive!
The place to Purchase Shio Kombu
My favourite shio kombu is Matsunoha Kombu from Hana Nishikido in Osaka. My foodie pal within the neighborhood bought it for me from Osaka and the package deal seems like this.
You may also purchase shio kombu from Japanese markets or on Amazon (this one or this one).
Methods to Make Salmon and Shio Kombu Onigiri
Elements You’ll Want
- Brief-grain Japanese rice (cooked) – To make rice balls, the rice kernels have to stay collectively. Japanese rice has the correct stickiness. You’ll be able to’t make onigiri with different kinds of rice or else it’ll crumble. Additionally, it’s essential that the rice is scorching or heat.
- Salmon (cooked) – I normally have leftover salmon (equivalent to Salted Salmon and Miso Salmon) within the freezer, so I simply have to defrost within the fridge in a single day, and reheat it within the microwave earlier than utilizing.
- Shio kombu – Extra about it above, in case you missed it.
- Shiso leaves – My favourite Japanese herb that I can’t get sufficient of.
- Myoga ginger – This uniquely Japanese ingredient is normally out there contemporary through the summer season months. It has a tremendous perfume and style. Should you’re , strive discovering it at an area well-stocked Japanese grocery retailer.
- Toasted white sesame seeds – Add good texture and taste to your onigiri.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Combine all of the components with cooked rice. When mixing, strive to not mash the rice; the secret is to make use of a slicing movement with a rice paddle.
- Scoop the rice combination and mould it right into a triangle form in your palms. Extra ideas will be discovered within the recipe card under.
3 Tricks to Make Fluffy Triangle Rice Balls
Tip 1: Use scorching (heat) rice. By no means use chilly or day-old rice.
Chilly, hardened rice gained’t work. It’s advisable to make use of scorching rice; nonetheless, don’t burn your palms with steam. You’ll be able to let it cool just a little bit however don’t wait too lengthy.
Tip 2: Use salt for preserving functions.
Moist your palms with just a little water and unfold it in your palms. Dip your 2-3 fingers in salt, put it in your palm, and unfold it evenly. Salt will not be solely used for flippantly seasoning the rice ball, however it additionally helps to maintain the rice ball protected at room temperature.
Tip 3: Calmly squeeze the rice.
Don’t fear an excessive amount of in regards to the form of the rice once you begin shaping. Bend the palm and fingers of your higher hand at an angle, then obtain and rotate it along with your decrease hand to type a triangular grip. Squeeze a couple of occasions, however don’t use an excessive amount of drive. Flatten the perimeters of the rice ball as soon as in your palm by gently urgent the triangle-shaped sides of the rice ball to form it. Lastly, gently squeeze the rice ball once more to finish it.
What to Serve with Salmon and Shio Kombu Onigiri
I normally pack 3 of those onigiri within the bento field for my children, and that’s it! They don’t get a lot time to take pleasure in their lunch, so these will maintain them for your entire faculty day. However if you happen to want to pack a extra substantial and healthful bento lunch field, you’ll be able to pack tamagoyaki and veggies alongside.
You may also benefit from the onigiri as a meal at house with these recipes:
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Salmon and Shio Kombu Onigiri
Our household’s favourite rice ball mixture is Salmon and Shio Kombu Onigiri. For this Japanese bento basic, I take advantage of salmon flakes for savory protein and salted kelp strips for his or her deep briny taste. I additionally combine in refreshing shiso and myoga ginger together with crunchy toasted sesame seeds. It is a scrumptious umami taste bomb that is good for lunch at house, work, faculty, or a picnic with buddies.
Elements
Directions
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Collect all of the components. Break the salmon into smaller items with chopsticks or a fork. Switch the recent steamed rice to a big tray or bowl so that you’ve loads of room to simply and totally combine it with the opposite components. Enable the rice to chill barely as you put together the opposite components; you do not need to burn your palms when shaping the onigiri.
To Put together the Elements
To Form the Rice Balls with Your Fingers
To Form the Rice Balls with Plastic
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Use this methodology if you find yourself serving onigiri for later or packing it for lunch.
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Put together a sheet of plastic, about 10 inches by 12 inches. Sprinkle some kosher salt (keep in mind, salt is used right here to protect the rice for a very long time) in the midst of the plastic. Scoop the rice combination and place it within the heart of the plastic wrap on high of the salt. Collect the corners of the plastic wrap and twist the plastic a couple of occasions to tighten it across the rice. Tip: Onigiri ought to weigh about 3-4 oz (85-113 g) every. I normally make three 3 oz (85 g) rice balls to suit into my children’ lunch packing containers.
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Type the rice right into a triangle form in the identical method that I described above.
To Retailer
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If you would like to pack the onigiri on your lunch, maintain it cool and devour it inside 6 hours. Onigiri (or any rice dish) will get onerous once you refrigerate it. The chilly air makes the rice dry and onerous, which is ideal for fried rice. I do not suggest making onigiri forward of time. If you really want to, my trick is to wrap the onigiri with thick kitchen towels and retailer it within the fridge. The onigiri shall be cool and protected however shouldn’t get chilly.
