College Cuisine: Onigiri

By Koby Parry

Have you ever seen those rice triangles on TV? Contrary to what the English translation of the Pokémon TV series says, they are not donuts: they’re rice balls. There are a bunch of different kinds and a bunch of different ways to make them, but today I’m just going to show you the easiest one, and from there you’ll be able to add and change whatever you want. It does take a little bit of practice to get good at it (my mom always puts me to shame), but they are fun and quick to make, making it a great date night activity.

Onigiri

• 2 cups White Short Grain Rice ~$4.98 ($0.16/oz)
• 1 sheet Nori (dried seaweed) ~$3.24 ($3.24/oz)
• Filling of your choice

Fillings — The ones you can actually get around here:

• Salmon ~$8.70 ($9.67/lb)
• Tuna ~$0.96 ($0.19/oz)
• Basically anything you would like to put in

Grand total: ~$16.92

Recipe total: ~$3.00

(All prices are estimates based off of Walmart.com)

Note:

There are many more traditional fillings, but unless you order them, you’re not going to find them anywhere around here. The only item you might be able to find is umeboshi (pickled plums), but they are really strong, and I’m going to assume most American pallets won’t enjoy them, especially if it’s a hassle to find.

Photo Credit: Koby Parry (these are pretty ugly, but they taste fine)

Onigiri

1. Prepare a bowl of water to wet your hands.
2. With wetted hands, pick up a ball (roughly a quarter cup) of rice and flatten it gently in the palm of your hand until it is roughly the size of your palm (do not smash the rice).
3. Add the filling of your choice to the center, then place another quarter cup of rice over that and firmly (while not smashing) cup the rice with both of your hands, switching back and forth until a triangle shape is made. (I know this is confusing, so here’s a video.)
4. Wrap your rice ball in nori however you’d like, and enjoy.

Fillings

• Salmon: place your salmon into a Ziploc bag, coat it heavily with salt, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Once you are ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400º F, and transfer the salmon from the bag to a baking dish, then cook for 20 minutes.
• Tuna Mayo: drain a can of tuna, then add a dash of salt and pepper. Add your choice of mayonnaise.

Note:

Whenever I make onigiris I always wrap them completely. In the picture, there are two different wrappings, but I did those for looks, and I’ll be honest, mine look terrible and they fall apart while eating them. I’d recommend the full wrapping. They also do not store well in the fridge, and they are meant to be eaten immediately or within the same day.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to check out the other ones we already have posted. Be sure to check back regularly for our new weekly recipes!