Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Shaped rice balls with savory fillings wrapped in nori — Japan''s perfect portable meal.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (warm)
• 1 tsp salt
• Fillings: umeboshi (pickled plum), canned tuna + mayo, salmon flakes, seasoned kelp
• Nori sheets, cut into strips

Method

1. Wet your hands with salted water (prevents sticking and seasons the outside).

2. Place a handful of warm rice in your palm. Make an indent, add 1 tsp filling.

3. Shape into a triangle by cupping your hands and pressing gently. Rotate and press to form 3 sides.

4. Wrap with a strip of nori.

What You're Practicing

• Use warm (not hot, not cold) rice — it''s pliable enough to shape but holds together.
• Japanese short-grain rice is essential — long-grain won''t stick together.
• Onigiri are Japan''s equivalent of a sandwich — portable, customizable, satisfying.