How to make a Onigiri!!

 お握り

 

Good morning/afternoon/evening!

So random topic of the day will be how to make a rice ball. Again we have received a few msgs on this topic. It's actually quite simple really, Chel and I are even able to do it, and trust me; I'm not a good cook, everything burns. XD Here is a small brief on a rice ball! ^u^

O-nigiri (お握り or 御握り; おにぎり), also known as o-musubi (お結び; おむすび) or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori (seaweed). Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume (umeboshi), salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservatives. Because of the popularity of onigiri in Japan, most convenience stores stock their onigiri with various fillings and flavors. 







There are even specialized shops which only sell onigiri to take away. So here are some easy steps in how to make a Onigiri in other words a rice ball.

The following are the instructions in how to make a rice ball.

***Using cooked hot rice is an essencial point.***

• Add a teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water. Put salt water on both hands to prevent sticking (temizu). Remember to put salt water on both hands before making each rice ball. Put about a handful of rice into a small bowl and shake bowl to make a roughly round shape before packing with hands into a ball (Fillings can be set in the center). Make sure you tightly pack while forming the rice ball to prevent crumbling. If too tightly packed it is not tasty.
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• Triangular Omusubi- (This is a suitable form for any filling). Hold rice in left palm (or right, if left-handed). Fillings can be set in the center of rice and covered. Using other palm with slightly bend fingers and hold together on top to pack rice. The upper palm forms a triangle while the lower hand holds the rice in between the thumb and fingers width wise. Repeat packing three times to form a triangular omusubi.

• Round Omusubi- Same as Triangular. Use upper palm roundly bent.

• Ball Omusubi- Same as Round. Use lower palm also roundly bent.

• Tawara (straw bag) Omusubi- Should be small (2 bites size) to look neat. It is too small to put fillings in the center, so mix fillings together with rice for easy making. Hold rice in left palm (or right, if left-handed) and gently squeeze into the form of a log. Use top palm to hold width wise and roll with both hands.

• Kinchaku (purse) Omusubi- Cover a small bowl entirely with plastic wrap and place rice on top. If desired, add fillings to the center and cover with rice. Hold rice together by picking up the edges of the plastic wrap and squeezing lightly to pack. This is an easy to make with small portions of rice. Freeze as is and heat in a microwave oven prior to eating.

If you need a better understanding, here are some pics, of what i am talking about.

Triangular Omusubi

Hold rice in left palm.	Fillings can be set in the center of rice and covered.	The upper palm forms a triangle while the lower hand holds the rice.	Repeat packing three times to form a triangular omusubi.

Tawara Omusubi

Hold rice in left palm and gently squeeze into the form of a log.	Use top palm to hold width wise and roll with both hands.	Fillings can be set in the center.

So hopefully the above gives you a better understanding, on how to make onigiri, afterwards you can be creative and do all kinds of shapes and faces. 

Well I hope we somewhat answered all of your questions! Please let me know if there are any spelling errors, since I'm horrible when it comes to spelling and grammar. 

So thanks again for reading this post, now get cooking!! LOL!

Remember have fun making rice balls and be creative!! 

Ciao!!