← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 360 g Japanese short-grain rice
• 430 ml Water
• 1 salmon fillet (about 150 g)
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 2 sheets Nori, cut into 3 strips each
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice in several changes of water until it runs nearly clear, then drain. Cook it with the measured water in a rice cooker, or bring to the boil in a covered pot, turn to low for 12 min and rest off the heat for 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle the salmon with a pinch of salt and grill for 8–10 min, until cooked through and it flakes easily. Flake it, discarding the skin and any bones.
3. Wet your hands with water and rub a little salt over your palms. Scoop up a sixth of the warm rice and press a hollow into the middle.
4. Put a spoonful of salmon in the hollow, close the rice over it and press firmly but gently into a triangle, turning it 3 or 4 times. Repeat to make 6.
5. Wrap a nori strip around each onigiri just before eating so it stays crisp, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.

Tips

• If packing them for later, let them cool quickly, wrap in cling film and eat the same day; rice should not sit warm for hours.
• Other classic fillings: tuna mayo, umeboshi (pickled plum) or kombu tsukudani.

Sources

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

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101 Chopstick Chronicles