Onigiri Recipe Tips
What do you put inside onigiri?
Traditional fillings for onigiri include salted salmon, Japanese pickled plum, bonito flakes, kombu seaweed, tuna mayo, and salted cod roe. (Before the advent of refrigeration, these salty and sour fillings acted as natural preservatives for the rice.) However, you can fill onigiri with pretty much anything you'd like—even bits of last night’s takeout Japanese food!
What kind of rice is used for onigiri?
Onigiri is typically made with sushi rice. This sticky, short-grain type of rice makes it easy to form compact balls that encase the filling without compressing it too densely. (Here’s
how to make sushi rice.)
You can also use other types of rice, such as regular white rice, but it's important that it is short-grain. Short-grain rice tends to have more starch than long-grain rice, which makes it less likely to dry out.
Do you eat onigiri hot or cold?
Much like sandwiches, onigiri is meant to be a hand-held, "on-the-go" type of food, best eaten at room temperature. However, if you prefer it warm, you can heat onigiri in a microwave.
What should I serve with onigiri?
Onigiri is good on its own for a snack or light lunch, but you can also serve it alongside a soup or salad, such as this
Miso Soup with Tofu and Enoki or this
Hearty Asian Lettuce Salad.
Research contributed by Mark Neufang, Taste of Home Culinary Assistant
Nutrition Facts
1 rice ball: 203 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 5mg cholesterol, 218mg sodium, 40g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 8g protein.
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