From bread to onigiri: A school snack makeover
My sister encouraged me to prepare onigiri for my child to take to school, as she is cutting down on eating white bread. I was skeptical – unlike my son, who quickly got hooked. That very evening, we were assembling rice triangles.
I did not include nori sheets and sesame seeds in my onigiri recipe due to allergies and my child's preferences. These additions significantly enhance the snack's taste. The recipe includes a tuna filling, but you can experiment with different fillings, such as avocado or roasted chicken.
What fillings for onigiri are most popular in Japan?
The taste of onigiri varies depending on the region in Japan. In every store, you can find triangles with tuna paste, often seasoned with wasabi or soy sauce. A popular addition is also umeboshi, pickled ume fruits which taste similar to the apricots or plums we know.
Japanese onigiri can also include grilled or roasted salmon, kombu seaweed, or bonito tuna flakes soaked in soy sauce. There are also hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, and roasted or pickled vegetables. Rice sandwiches are usually coated in furikake, a salty sprinkle of seaweed, dried fish, and sesame seeds.
Recipe for tuna onigiri
These stuffed triangles also work as party snacks – they are perfect for dipping in sauces like sriracha mayo. If you're in the mood for a crunchier version, pan-fry the onigiri in heated oil.
Ingredients:
- About 500 millilitres of sushi rice,
- 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar,
- About 200 grams of canned tuna,
- Half a red onion,
- Half a red bell pepper,
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise,
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce,
- Salt and pepper to taste,
- Optional 4 nori sheets.
Instructions:
- Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. After cooking, cool it and mix with rice vinegar.
- In a bowl, place the drained tuna, add finely chopped onion and red bell pepper. Mix with mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper.
- On a piece of plastic wrap, place two tablespoons of rice and shape it into a triangle. Put a large spoonful of filling in the centre and cover with rice.
- Using the wrap, press the onigiri so that the rice completely covers the filling.
- If you want to add nori, cut the sheets into strips about 5 centimetres wide. Soak in a bowl of water and attach to the rice triangles.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
The onigiri is ready to eat immediately but will take on a more solid shape if it stays in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
