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4.5 from 12 votes

Onigiri

Good Onigiri is all about the rice and how it's prepared, so in this Onigiri recipe, I'm going to teach you everything you need to know to make these traditional Japanese rice balls at home using various fillings.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6 rice
Calories: 169 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups Japanese short-grain rice (2 rice cooker cups)
  • 1 ⅔ cup cold water
  • 6 whole umeboshi
  • salt
  • 2 heets unseasoned nori

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Wash and cook the rice in a rice cooker as you normally would, or if you are doing it on the stove, you can follow the instructions on my sushi rice recipe (but be sure to use the amount of rice and water specified above).
  2. While you're waiting for the rice to cook and steam, remove the pits from the umeboshi.
  3. Cut the sheets of nori into thirds by either using scissors or creasing and tearing the nori.
  4. Prepare a medium bowl of water and a small bowl of salt.
  5. When the rice is done, fluff it with a spatula and transfer it to a bowl to cool. Keep the bowl covered with a damp towel to keep the rice from drying out.
  6. When the rice has cooled enough to handle without burning yourself, wet your hands in the bowl of water and dip your index finger into the bowl of salt.
  7. Rub the salt into both hands and then scoop ⅙ of the rice into one hand. Press one pitted umeboshi into the center of the mound of rice and cover it with the surrounding rice.
  8. Curl your fingers up and over the rice, and then use your index and middle fingers on your free hand to shape the rice into a triangle, but do not over squeeze the rice.
  9. Roll the rice ball on your hand onto another side and repeat until the triangle has equal length sides, and it's roughly the same thickness.
  10. To wrap the onigiri, place a strip of nori centered on the rice and then wrap each side of the nori around the triangle and under the base.
  11. Garnish the top of the onigiri with a little dab of umeboshi so you can identify what's inside.

Nutrition Information

Calories 169kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 37g (12%) Protein 3g (6%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 6mg (0%) Potassium 53mg (2%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 45IU (1%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 15mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 169

% Daily Value*

Calories 169kcal 8%
Carbohydrates 37g 12%
Protein 3g 6%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 6mg 0%
Potassium 53mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 45IU 1%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 15mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.