Onigiri (おにぎり), also known as Omusubi (おむすび) or Rice Boll is a Japanese food made from steamed sticky white rice or steamed brown rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in Nori.(Dry Seaweed).
Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled Plum(Umeboshi)salted salmon,,katsuobushi,Wakame, Tarako or any other salty ingredient as a natural preservative.
Because it is easily portable and eaten by hand, onigiri has been used as portable food or Bento Box from ancient times to the present day. Originally, it was used as a way to use and store left-over rice, but it later became a regular meal. It is also served as finger food at parties. Many Japanese supermarkets and grocery stock their onigiri with various fillings and flavors. It has become so mainstream that it is even served in Izakaya and some Japanese restaurants.
Onigiri is a very familiar food for Japanese people.
Onigiri is a convenient broad food that is easy to make!
How is different Sushi and Onigiri?
Despite common misconceptions, onigiri is not a form of Sushi and should not be confused with the type of sushi called Nigirizushi or simply nigiri. Onigiri is made with plain rice (sometimes lightly salted), while sushi is made of rice with Vinegar,sugar and salt.
Onigiri makes rice portable and easy to eat as well as preserving it, while sushi originated as a way of preserving fish.
How to get good rice for onigiri?
Rice is very important in Onigiri.So, first prepare the rice.
Choose short grain rice,”California rice”.It goes better with Japanese food than jasmine rice or long grain rice.Short grain rice is sticky and sweet.
If a Japanese grocery store near your house, you can buy rice imported from Japan.You can also buy rice at Chinese grocery and Korean market.
You can buy it at grocery stores like Costco, Walmart, Ralph, and Amazon.
“Botan”, “Nishiki” “California Rose”and “Shirakiku” can be found at most shops.
How to cook Rice for Onigiri?
Place 1 cup of rice in a container and rinse the rice with water.
Do not use soap when washing rice.
When you rinse the rice, the water turns white, but that’s the rice bran, so don’t worry.
It is better for your health to eat with a little bran remaining instead of completely washing off the bran.
Steam 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of water.
A rice cooker is convenient when cooking rice.
Using a Japanese rice cooker makes delicious and easy,
Japanese rice cookers such as Zojirushi and Panasonic are expensive.
You can also use an American slow cooker,(Instant Pot is very good for rice cook)
You can also cook it in a pot and sauce pan.
If cooking in a pot, add 1 cup of water to 1 cup of washed rice (just rinse the rice with water)in the pot,Cover and heat.
5 minutes after boiling, then 5 minutes on low heat. After that, turn off the heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes without opening the lid.
You can cook more delicious rice by using a clay pot.
