• Prep Time:
  • Cooking Time:
  • Serves: 4 Servings

Oni-Giri (Japanese Rice Ball)

  • Recipe Submitted by on

Category: Rice

 Ingredients List

  • Rice
  • Nori (seaweed)
  • Seasoned rice vinegar
  • Smoked salmon
  • Wasabi paste
  • Salt
  • Sugar

 Directions

This recipe is for the picnic rice balls that someone mentioned. They are
easier than sushi, don't require a mat, etc. Don't shy away from making
these. You don't need to use raw fish. Indeed, these particular rice balls,
called Oni-giri do not usually contain raw fish. These can be made with
smoked salmon or not as you wish.

To season the vinegar, add some salt and or sugar to taste. I don't like
the sugar myself and leave it out. I also water down the vinegar a little
bit. If you don't like vinegar, you can just use salt water or even just
plain water.

The Nori may be purchased in toasted sheets ready to use. It is widely
available. I've found it in local grocery stores here in North Carolina.
Cut the sheets into 4 - 5 cm wide strips.

The rice should be a sticky variety, like Kokuho Rose, but I have made
these successfully with standard American medium grain white rice. Prepare
as for steamed rice, allow it to sit in the pan, covered, after cooking for
about 1 hour before lifting the cover. Dump the rice into a bamboo
vegetable steamer or a wooden salad bowl, something that will absorb some
of the moisture. Fan the rice while GENTLY tossing it a few times. This
cools it so it can be handled and removes the excess moisture.

Have the salmon ready in 4 cm strips with as much wasabi dabbed on it as
you'd like. Once the rice is cool enough to handle you can begin. Wet your
hands with the vinegar. Grab some rice in the palm of one hand. Push a
strip of salmon into it. Form the rice ball by clasping your hands together
GENTLY. The idea is to form a nice triangular ball with flat faces. It's
fun. You also don't want to handle them too much. You don't want to squash
the rice grains just stick them together. Once you've shaped the ball. Wet
one side of the Nori strip with the vinegar and wrap it around the flat
faces of the rice ball.

These make GREAT picnic food. They go well with fruits and vegetables. My
wife, Leah, who doesn't like seafood loves these. So, even if you think
eating seaweed sounds weird, give them a try.

Oh, and by the way, smoked salmon is excellent with soy sauce and wasabi.

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