brown rice onigiri
onigiri are harder to pronounce than they are to make.
onigiri is a very popular lunch in japan. they consist of rice, surrounding a filling (usually tuna salad or salmon), and wrapped in nori. people go bonkers decorating them for elaborate bento boxes, but it's not necessary to enjoy them.
the rice
i used sprouted brown rice for my onigiri. when it was just finished cooking, i seasoned it with some gomasio. gomasio is a low sodium blend of sesame seeds, seaweed, and sea salt.
the fillings
a very traditional filling is umeboshi paste, which is a pickled plum puree. it's the craziest flavor- really sour and salty. like a punch in the face. a little goes a long way. it's my all time favorite filling.
i also threw together a very nontraditional filling of mushrooms. i thawed and squeezed dry a bag of frozen shiitake mushrooms. then mixed up a quick marinade of 3 tsp nama shoyu (or soy sauce, or tamari), 1 1/2tsp of brown rice vinegar, 1 tsp of agave, and a drop or two of sesame oil. toss to coat.
you'll also need a sheet of nori, toasted seaweed. it comes with perforated lines on each sheet, so you can tear it into strips. you'll need a strip about 2" wide for each onigiri.
shaping
la fuji mama has a killer video tutorial on how to shape onigiri. it's a simple process.
- with damp hands, take a scoop of rice and mold it into a mound in your palm. dent the center a bit.
- add filling to center of rice.
- top with more rice, to completely cover the filling.
- shape into a ball, gently compressing it so the rice sticks together.
- shape the rice ball into a triangle, using both hands to mold. center it on the strip of nori.
- fold nori up around the edges of the rice. squeeze it for a moment at the corners, and it will stick to the rice.
when i pack onigiri as a lunch, i keep the nori separate from the rice ball until the last minute. the longer the nori touches the rice, the soggier and chewier it gets. when it's added just before you eat it, it stays nice and crispy.
