Yaki Onigiri Chazuke (Grilled Rice Ball in Soup)

1. Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. If your 2 pieces Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball) are frozen, use a microwave to defrost and bring them to room temperature (not warm or hot). Then, reheat at 350ºF (175ºC) in the oven or toaster oven until crispy, about 10 minutes. You can also pan-fry them on a piece of parchment paper until crispy on the outside and warm on the inside. If you haven‘t made them yet, allow 30 minutes to make Yaki Onigiri using hot cooked rice.

To Make the Dashi (Japanese Soup Stock)

1. For a quick meal, here‘s how to use a dashi packet to make Japanese soup stock. In a medium saucepan, add 2 cups water and 1 dashi packet. Start cooking over medium heat. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Pick up the packet and shake it a few times to release more flavor. Then, discard the packet. If needed, you can add a bit of water to the stock to make 2 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock). The dashi is now ready to use.

To Make the Soup Broth

1. To the prepared dashi, add 1 tsp soy sauce and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Whisk to dissolve the salt. Keep it covered on low heat.

To Serve

1. Cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin slices.
2. Place one warm yaki onigiri in each individual bowl. Pour the soup broth onto the onigiri to about three-quarters of the way up the rice ball‘s sides. Keep the crispy surface uncovered by the soup so you can add your toppings. Reserve the leftover broth to add later as you enjoy the Yaki Onigiri Chazuke.

To Serve

1. Place the green onion slices and furikake (rice seasoning) on top of the rice ball and enjoy. As you break the rice ball and enjoy spoonfuls of rice and soup together, add the reserved soup broth as needed. 

To Store

1. Keep the soup broth separately in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you made fresh yaki onigiri for this recipe, cool and individually wrap them in plastic and store in the freezer for up to a month.