If you ever visited Japan before, you would have seen or eaten “Onigiri” (Japanese rice ball) at supermarkets or convenience stores.

There are lots of food that represent Japan, but in fact Onigiri is the most common food in Japanese people’s life.

Today we would like to introduce how to make Onigiri using Onigiri molds.

What You Need

Onigiri is a rice ball that is shaped in hand with salt water. It tastes good enough itself, but you can put variety of fillings in it. This time we use grilled salmon and pickled plum (removed the seed and chopped with a knife).

Other than above, you can use whatever you like, such as fried chicken or fish with mayonnaise, seasoned boiled egg, salad, etc.

However, the main ingredient is rice, and it is important to choose good rice. For Onigiri, Japanese rice would be more delicious as it contains more glucose. To preserve cooked rice, “Ohitsu” (wooden rice container) is recommended. It can keep cooked rice in good condition.

How to Make Onigiri with a Mold

1. Sprinkle salt over the mold

Before getting started, first wet the mold and wipe it with a tightly wrung cloth. This prevents rice sticking to the mold.

Pile up the mold and sprinkle salt over each hole.

2. Fill the rice

Fill the rice up to half of the mold. Make sure not to squeeze, and just gently press as if massaging a baby's hand.

3. Put the fillings

Put your favorite fillings.

4. Add rice on

After fillings, add rice on as if covering the fillings. Add enough amount of rice to let it slightly stick out of the mold.

5. Sprinkle salt

Sprinkle the same amount of salt as sprinkled in the first step.

6. Remove the mold

When you removed the mold, it's ready to eat! By using a mold, you can make well-shaped beautiful Onigiri easily.

Enjoy Onigiri by adding your touch!

If you just have a Onigiri mold, you can enjoy various tastes of Onigiri by adding your touch, such as replacing salt with seasoning for rice or wrapping Onigiri in dried seaweed.

Onigiri is good for lunch as well as for home parties or events to boost your mood. Let's give it a try!