Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

First you need to decide what ingredients you want to stuff your onigiri with. Some fillings need to be prepared in advance. Personally, I like salted salmon (shake), tuna mayo and sour Japanese plum (umeboshi). Other traditional toppings are cooked kombu or salted roe. In fact, onigiri can be stuffed with anything you like even chicken or egg.

Salted salmon:

1. Clean the salmon fillet of any visible fish bones (traditionally, the fillet is also washed with sake to get rid of excess fishy odor).
2. Dry the cleaned fish with paper towels.
3. Then sprinkle the fish very generously and thoroughly with salt on all sides. I recommend putting the fillet in a freezer bag and gently massaging the salt.
4. Seal the fish in an airtight container and put it in the fridge.
5. The fish should marinate for 2 days. However, if you are in a hurry then you will get acceptable results after just 2h of marinating.
6. Marinated fish can be gently rinsed in a solution of salt water or a mixture of sake and mirin to get rid of excess salt.
7. Bake the salmon in the oven, or you can grill or pan-fry it. The salmon will come out tender with a flavorful crispy crust.
8. Before adding to the onigiri, crush the fish with a fork into smaller pieces.

Tuna mayo:

1. Drain the tuna from excess liquids (you can use either tuna in oil or in its own juice).
2. Next, mix it with mayonnaise and soy sauce.

Furikake seasoning:

1. Furikake seasoning is a traditional addition to onigiri. You can buy it or prepare it yourself. In this recipe, I provide the ingredients for a simple version.
2. Cut the nori leaf with scissors or chop with a knife into very small pieces.
3. Roast the sesame seeds in a pan for a few minutes, then gently blend or crush them in a mortar.
4. Combine everything with the rest of the ingredients.

Onigiri:

1. Remember that rice is the most important part of this dish. Buy the best quality rice. It must be short grain rice (in Europe, it is usually advertised as sushi rice). It cannot be substituted with any other rice such as jasmine rice. The property of short-grain Japanese rice is its stickiness after cooking. As a result, onigiri will be able to retain its shape.
2. Rinse the rice 3-4 times in cold water. The water should gradually become clearer and clearer.
3. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. Usually 1.5 parts of water is added for 1 part of rice.
4. Personally, I cook the rice in a pot. First bringing it to a boil. Then I reduce the heat to low. I cook for 12 minutes, and then set the rice aside to simmer for another 12 minutes. Throughout the process, I never lift the lid of the pot.
5. After cooking, wait for the rice to cool down (about 30-40 minutes). While preparing the onigiri, the rice should still be warm.
6. Prepare a bowl of salt water on the side.
7. While preparing the onigiri, wet your hands. Scoop a handful of warm rice onto one hand. Create a small indentation in the center of the rice. Place one type of filling (about 1 teaspoon) inside. Then shape the rice with your hands around the indentation to completely cover the filling. Traditionally, onigiri are shaped like triangles, but they can just as well be shaped like a ball.
8. You can decorate with furikake seasoning and wrap it in a nori sheet cut into strips.
9. Onigiri is best eaten soon after preparation. Storing it in the refrigerator makes the rice hard and rather dull.