The Best Onigiri (Rice Balls) I've Ever Made
I have a confession to make: I originally got into Japanese knives because I was a huge Japan-obsessed anime & videogame nerd. Shocking, I know. While my appreciation for Japanese knives and culture has since grown much deeper, 17-year-old Nathan was a pretty big weeb. As a lover of manga AND an aspiring chef at the time, the food shown in stories like Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Naruto always piqued my curiosity. Ramen, Takoyaki, and the one that mystified me most of all, Onigiri.
How could a ball of rice taste that good? Sure, rice is awesome, but I grew up on stovetop rice with butter and soy sauce (which slaps, by the way). But just rice, maybe with a little filling? I started to understand when I picked up a little foodie-focused manga called ‘Oishinbo’. While not always 100% accurate, Oishinbo followed the adventures of a few Japanese gourmands, experiencing and perfecting Japanese delicacies, both new and old. The rice storyline, in particular, started to change the way I thought about rice, and made me realize that some folks take rice very seriously. I experimented with making rice balls at home, and while I lack the technique to make them properly, they turned out pretty good. My family’s favourite are onigiri smeared with miso & grilled over binchotan charcoal. I’ve won a lot of folks over with that one.
Rice grilled over charcoal. Delicious.
Enter Naoto Fujimoto, Knifewear’s bringer of knives, head sharpener, and my coworker of almost 13 years. I’ve learned a lot about Japanese food from Naoto, so I was very curious when he brought in some Rice Donabe for Knifewear. I believed him when he said this fancy clay pot made rice taste better, but I was unconvinced that I needed to spend $120 to cook my rice. I have since changed my mind. We’d been looking for an excuse to cook some rice in the donabe, and the arrival of Hinoki wood Onigiri moulds was perfect! We got some rice, a piece of salmon, and got to work. Without further ado, please enjoy this recipe, for which Naoto gets 100% of the credit:
The Best Salmon Onigiri Ever
Part 1 - Cooking Rice in Your Donabe
The gentle, even heat of clay is perfect for cooking rice. It heats much more gradually than metal, bringing out more sweetness and umami in the rice. The amylase in the rice, which converts starch into sugar, really gets to work its magic.They also have a double-lid system that helps moisture evaporate more slowly, so rice comes out moist and fluffy. Even moreso than out of a fancy rice cooker! Each grain is well defined, no mush whatsoever. Once I tasted donabe rice, I was forever changed.
Be sure to use Japanese short-grain rice. The rice cooking donabe features lines to indicate the ideal water level per cup of rice, referring to the included 180ml rice cup, NOT a standard Imperial Cup. If you don’t have a rice cup, the recommended rice-to-water ratio is 1:1~1.3.
- Rinse rice until the water runs clear.
- Soak rice in the amount of water indicated by the line or ratio for 1 hour.
- Set the donabe on medium-high heat with the lid on until it begins to steam. It should take 10-15min or longer until steam comes out, if it boils faster than 10min, adjust the heat to a lower setting.
- Lower the heat to low and leave it for 15min.
- Turn the heat off and wait for another 10min.
Leave the lid on the donabe until you’re ready to rice ball.
Part 2 - Cooking the Salmon
You can fill onigiri with almost anything, but I like salmon. Naoto’s advice is to simmer the salmon in soy sauce & mirin, straining the extra liquid once it’s cooked. I grilled mine for a little smokiness, then added a splash of mirin and soy sauce after shredding it. Either way, you want shredded salmon to pack into your onigiri.
Part 3 - Making Onigiri
You can shape onigiri by hand, but if you have neanderthal hands like me, you’ll find an onigiri mould very helpful. Soak the mould in water with a splash of rice vinegar for 2 minutes before using.
Remove the mould from the water, shake off the excess. Place the flat cap of the mould on your cutting board, then place the mould on it. Open the donabe and fluff up the rice. Fill each part of the mould just over ½ full, and press it down gently with the rice paddle. Press a small indentation in the middle of each one with your thumb. Place a Tablespoon of salmon in the indent, then fill the mould with rice so that it overflows a bit. Press the rice into each mould with the paddle until the onigiri are flush with the top of the mould. Carefully pull he mould up and away.
Now comes the genius trick that Naoto taught me: rub table salt on the palms of both hands. This prevents the rice from sticking and seasons the unseasoned rice. Pick up the first onigiri, and use your hands to cup it and press it gently, reaffirming the existing shape. It should have two flat triangle-shaped sides and three rectangular sides that form the triangle.
Once all the onigiri are pressed, wrap them in nori and enjoy! Making onigiri takes practice, but using good rice, cooking it perfectly, and cheating with the moulds is 90% of it.
