← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 320 g warm cooked Japanese short-grain rice
• 1 pinch Salt
• 150 g very thinly sliced beef or pork belly
• 1 tbsp potato starch or plain flour
• 1 tsp Vegetable oil
• 1½ tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Mix the glaze ingredients in a cup.
2. With wet, lightly salted hands, press the rice into 4 firm balls or short cylinders.
3. Wrap each one tightly in the meat slices, overlapping them so no rice shows. Dust lightly all over with the starch, which helps the meat stick and the glaze cling.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onigiri seam side down for 2 min to seal, then roll them around for 4–5 min until browned all over and cooked through.
5. Pour in the glaze and keep rolling the onigiri for 1–2 min until the sauce reduces to a sticky coating. Sprinkle with sesame and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips

• Tuck a piece of cheese or a shiso leaf into the middle of each rice ball before wrapping.
• For lunchboxes, cool them quickly and keep them chilled until the morning.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Japanese Cooking 101 Sudachi Recipes