Following the tutorial here, I used the rest of some rice which I had cooked using liquid from some leftover beef stew to make onigiri for the first time.The small round, sort of flattish ones worked very well and were wildly popular, but they had no filling. I made those using the mini muffin pans in the background of this picture. I lined one of the cups of the pan with plastic wrap, giving a generous overlap, spooned the cooked rice into the cup, gathered the plastic wrap tightly up and twisted it. The twisting tightened the rice ball, and I flattened it into the pan to give it a good, firm shape that would stick together well.
The ones with filling, which I made using the adorable antique egg cup you see here, sort of fell apart.
For a filling I used leftover smoked salmon, a bit of wasabi mayonnaise, some capers, and some dried onion. I added the dried onion because the filling was a bit moist and I thought the dried onion would absorb it. It did.
Here's one with the filling in progress.I lined my cup with plastic wrap, wiped the wrap with wet fingers, dusted it with salt, and then spooned in some rice. Then I poked my finger in the center of the rice mound, making a small dent in the rice. I put a bit of the salmon mixture into the hole, and topped it with more rice.
Then I gathered up the plastic wrap and twisted it, squeezing the rice into a tight ball, and then I shaped the ball into a triangle, pressing it into the angle between thumb and forefinger, shaping, turning, pressing, shaping, turning.
Some of my triangles were a bit wonky, but some of them looked just right.
I tried frying them, but those are the ones that really just fell to pieces. I had better results putting them on a sesame oiled cookie sheet, brushing them with soy sauce and sesame oil and putting them under the broiler for a few minutes and then turning them to broil the other side a another minute or two.
My husband and I loved the salmon filled ones. Pip couldn't stop snacking on the other ones, left on the counter to cool a few minutes before supper. These are a bit tedious to make, but you can make a lot at once; they are really inexpensive and very tasty. If you don't use a fish and mayo filling, they are quite portable, too, making them great foods for picnics, for car trips, and for snacking on at the zoo.
Saran wrap and egg cups- works for me!
Cost: Leftover cooked rice: about a dollar's worth
Can of salmon: 1.25
dab of mayo or wasabi mayo- about .25
The capers were optional- I just happened to have them on hand.
Enough oil and soy sauce to brush the onigiri with: approximately .50 worth
Serve with chili-zucchini-corn salad or whatever fresh veggies or fruit are on sale in your area, and you have the makings of a nice picnic supper. Grill the Onigiri outside on the grill if you like, but you'll need to be careful not to have them fall apart on the grill.
My recipe for chili-zucchini-corn salad serves 32 people- reduce it down to four servings, and you have a menu well under five dollars.
This post linked at Five Dollar Dinners, A Soft Place to Land (DIY days), and Tasty Tuesdays.
Also at All the Small Stuff,
Note: I later purchased a kitchen gadget that makes really cute onigiri balls:
Onigiri mold
and I like it, too- it's a wee bit quicker than using saran wrap. I dip the molds in a bowl of warm salty water before each use- dip, fill, press, release, dip, fill, press, release.. and I can make three at a time with mine.=)This post reposted at The Common Kitchen Pin It
This sounds really good, a delicious way to use up leftover rice! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteYou do need the rice to be hot, but you can reheat it in the microwave if you cover it well. It needs to still be moist.
ReplyDeleteThose sound good. I've been trying to think of something different to do with that can of salmon I have.
ReplyDeleteLooks mighty tasty, very unique, as well!
ReplyDelete