Rice Balls with Four Fillings

Name: Rice Balls with Four Fillings (Onigiri)
Yield: Serves four
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 45 ml/3 tbsp sesame seeds; 50 g/2 oz salmon fillet, skinned; 450 g/1 lb/2¼ cups Japanese short grain rice; 3 umeboshi, 50 g/2 oz in total weight; 6 pitted black olives, wiped and finely chopped; 50 g/2 oz smoked mackerel fillet; 2.5 ml/½ tsp mirin; 2 nori sheets, each cut into 8 strips; Japanese pickles, to serve; 550 ml/18 fl oz/2½ cups water; fine salt

Onigiri

Preparation info

Serves
four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Japanese Cookbook

By Emi Kazuko and Yasuko Fukuoka

Published 2024

About

Onigiri, the Japanese name for this dish, means hand-moulded rice. Japanese rice is ideal for making rice balls, which are filled here with salmon, mackerel, umeboshi and olives. The nori coating makes them easy to pick up with your fingers.

Ingredients

50 g/2 oz salmon fillet, skinned
3 umeboshi, 50

Asia
Japan
Fish course
Snack
Pescatarian
Gluten-free

Method

To cook the rice, wash it thoroughly with cold water. Drain and put into a heavy pan. Pour in the water and leave for 30 minutes. Put the lid on tightly and bring the pan to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes. When you hear a crackling noise remove from the heat and leave to stand, covered, for about 15 minutes.
Stir carefully with a dampened r