Holiday/ Lunch/ Picnic/ Vegetarian

Stuffed Rice Balls

Rice balls like this are called Onigiri and are traditional “kid-food” in Japan and Hawaii. They are often stuffed with umeboshi, which are salted preserved plums. Our mom’s family would sometimes substitute canned tuna for umeboshi.

 

Equipment:

  • Scissors
  • A small bowl of water
  • A fork

Stuffed Rice Balls

Print Recipe
Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 cups left-over short-grained white rice (botchan)
  • 2 sheets of nori (sheets of sea weed for sushi)
  • 1 can of tuna - drained OR
  • 1 jar of umeboshi

Instructions

1

If you are using umeboshi, start by pulling 4-6 plums out of the jar. Make sure they don't have any pits in them. If the plums have pits pull them out. Set the umeboshi aside for now.

2

Cut the nori into strips about 1 1/4 inches wide. Set them aside.

3

Next, wet your hands in the bowl of water. Wetting your palms will keep the rice from sticking to you and will also help the grains of rice stick together.

4

Take a handful of rice and make a patty by pressing it into the palm of one hand.

5

Put a little umeboshi or about a tablespoon of tuna in the center of the rice patty. Now grab another handful of rice and put it on top.

6

Start to work the rice into a ball like you would pack a snowball. Turn it as you press so that it is round on all sides. You can wet your hand again to help the rice stick.

7

Take a strip of nori and wrap it around the rice ball. A little water will help the nori stick to the ball. Press the nori down until it molds to the ball.

8

Put the ball on a dish with the ends of the nori facing down. The rice balls will look like they each have a stripe that goes all the way around.

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