Japanese Food Japanese rice balls (onigiri)

[anjusan]

Onigiri

I wish convenience stores in the US would stock the above rice balls...
I make rice balls about every other week for my son. I have square and round plastic moulds that make perfect shapes every time. I bought the moulds at the oriental store. They are great because they are in 3 pieces, enabling you to push the moulded rice out without sticking to the mould.
Sometimes I stuff them with seasoned chicken meat. Other times I just sprinkle them with sesame seeds or spices. The rice is the crucial ingredient. Recently the local supermarket has been stocking sushi rice. I buy Tamaki Gold from the oriental store, though. It has a great flavour and still retains the natural rice germ for added nutrients.

When I roast the rice balls, I form them by hand into triangles using a sheet of saran (plastic) wrap. That way, it doesn't stick to my hands. I use my toaster oven and toast both sides. I usually use a bit of butter in the tray, so they don't stick when I flip them over.
Here is a link for rice ball moulds. It is hard to imagine if you haven't seen them.

Sushi Ball Mold/Press

 

[MyOnigiri]

Hey everyone,

I've been imagining what an anime based on Onigiri would be like, and I want to get your creative juices flowing! Let's brainstorm what would make the "My Onigiri World" anime incredible.

 

[thomas]

AP's Kageyama Yuri on Japan's "soul food," onigiri. This year, the term 'Onigiri' became part of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The rice balls are stuffed with various fillings and typically wrapped in seaweed. It's an everyday dish epitomising "washoku" — the traditional Japanese cuisine designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage a decade ago. Onigiri is "fast food, slow food and soul food," says Yusuke Nakamura, who heads the Onigiri Society, a trade group in Tokyo. Fast because you can find it even at convenience stores, slow because it uses ingredients from the sea and mountains, he said—and soul food because it's often made and consumed among family and friends. No tools are needed, just gently cupped hands.

It's not as world-famous as ramen or sushi. But the humble onigiri is soul food in Japan

The word “onigiri” (OH-knee-GEEH-reeh) just became part of the Oxford English Dictionary this year. The humble sticky-rice ball — a mainstay of Japanese food — has entered the global lexicon.

apnews.com