This onigiri recipe is fun to make for Japanese bento boxes! You can put almost anything in these rice balls; try salmon or tuna with mayonnaise.
Preparation Time
20 mins
Cooking Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Calories
744 Calories
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.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 cups uncooked short-grain white rice
2 sheets nori (dry seaweed), cut into 1/2-inch strips
