Onigiri madness: The new school lunch craze
My sister encouraged me to prepare onigiri for my child to take to school since she is cutting down on white bread. I was skeptical, unlike my son, who quickly got hooked. That very evening we were assembling rice triangles.
In my onigiri recipe, I did not include nori sheets and sesame seeds due to allergies and my child's personal preferences. In my opinion, these additions significantly enhance the snack's taste. The recipe includes a tuna filling, but you can experiment with different fillings such as avocado or roasted chicken.
What fillings for onigiri are most popular in Japan?
The taste of onigiri varies depending on the region of the Land of the Rising Sun. In every store, you can find triangles with tuna paste, often seasoned with wasabi or soy sauce. A popular addition is umeboshi, pickled ume fruits that taste similar to the apricots or plums we know.
Japanese onigiri can also include grilled or roasted salmon, kombu seaweed, or bonito tuna flakes soaked in soy sauce. There are also hard-boiled eggs, shrimp, and roasted or pickled vegetables. Rice sandwiches are usually coated in furikake, a salty sprinkle of seaweed, dried fish, and sesame.
Recipe for tuna onigiri
These stuffed triangles also work as party snacks—they are perfect for dipping in sauces like sriracha mayo. If you're in the mood for a crunchier version, pan-fry the onigiri in heated oil.
Ingredients:
- About 2 cups of sushi rice
- 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
- About 7 ounces of canned tuna
- Half a red onion
- Half a red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 4 nori sheets
Instructions:
- Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. After cooking, cool it and mix with rice vinegar.
- In a bowl, place the drained tuna, add finely chopped onion and red bell pepper. Mix with mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper.
- On a piece of plastic wrap, place two tablespoons of rice and shape it into a triangle. Put a large spoonful of filling in the center and cover with rice.
- Using the wrap, press the onigiri so that the rice completely covers the filling.
- If you want to add nori, cut the sheets into strips about 2 inches wide. Soak in a bowl of water and attach to the rice triangles.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
The onigiri is ready to eat immediately but will take on a more solid shape if it stays in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
