Onigiri - Japanese Rice Balls

This easy onigiri recipe is also fun to make! These rice balls are a staple of Japanese lunchboxes (bento). You can put almost anything in these rice balls; try substituting grilled salmon, pickled plums, beef, pork, turkey, or tuna with mayonnaise.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Calories: 744 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 4 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
• ¼ cup bonito shavings (dry fish flakes)
• 2 sheets nori (dry seaweed), cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 5 ½ cups water, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Wash rice in a mesh strainer until water runs clear. Combine washed rice and 4 1/2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer rice until water is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rice rest for 15 minutes to continue to steam and become tender. Allow cooked rice to cool.

Step 2

Divide one portion of rice in two. Create a dimple in rice and fill with a heaping teaspoon of bonito flakes. Cover with remaining portion of rice and press lightly to enclose filling inside rice ball. Gently press rice to shape into a triangle; wrap with a strip of nori and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat with remaining portions of rice.

Step 3

Combine remaining 1 cup water with salt in a small bowl; use to dampen hands before handling rice. Divide cooked rice into 8 equal portions. Use one portion of rice for each onigiri.