What is typically Japanese and has now also made it into our supermarkets? The answer is onigiri. These are balls or typically triangles made of rice that are filled with a wide variety of ingredients. The great thing about it is that you can actually make them at home and prepare a quick office lunch the night before.
In Japan you can find onigiri everywhere and they are always fresh and pretty cheap. Two of them were often my breakfast in Japan and really filled me up. A classic is definitely the filling with salmon and wasabi. Of course, we’ll show you our version. And we also have a variant ready for all vegans. Here comes pumpkin with some plum in the middle. But there are no limits to creativity and maybe there is something that still needs to be used up, like some mushrooms, cucumber or leek. Because not much fits into an onigiri like this.
By the way, you can also simply shape balls or get the typical triangle shape. Of course, it’s really quick and easy to shape the Japanese rice snack. And so that you can eat it easily, there is a small sheet of nori around it, so you can grip it better and your hands don’t get sticky.
I could definitely eat onigiri every day and it’s one of my favorite snacks, especially in summer. Simply perfect for a lunch break in the park. But of course it’s also suitable now in autumn.
Of course, the number of onigiri depends on the size of the mold or balls and is therefore only an approximate guide. But we tested the recipe twice and always got it pretty much right. If there is rice and/or filling left over and you don’t feel like making more onigiri, you can of course simply fry them together as you like and eat them as a rice dish.
Onigiri with salmon wasabi and pumpkin plum
- 300 G uncooked sushi rice
- 3 EL Japanese rice vinegar
- 1 TL Sea salt
- 1-2 Nori sheets, cut into strips
for the salmon and wasabi filling
- 1 Organic salmon fillet approx. 120 g
- 4 cm Cucumber
- 50 ml sake
- 1 TL Wasabi
- 1 EL mayonnaise
- Salt, pepper
for the pumpkin and plum filling
- 1/4 Hokkaido pumpkin
- 3-4 Dried prunes
- 1 TL Mirin
- Chili flakes at will
- 3 EL black sesame
- Salt
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First prepare the sushi rice. To do this, wash the rice thoroughly in a pot and rinse it again and again to remove dust and deposits. Drain well. Repeat until the water is almost clear. Then add it to the pot with 360 ml of water and soak for 30 minutes. Bring to the boil over high heat and then cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for another 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a wooden spoon.
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Mix mirin, vinegar and salt in a small bowl until the salt is dissolved. Then pour the mix over the rice and work it into the rice with a wooden spoon. Cover with a damp cloth until further use.
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For the salmon filling, cook the salmon in a pan over medium heat with the sake. Turn once. Meanwhile, peel the cucumber and cut it into fine strips. Then shred the salmon in a bowl and mix it with cucumber, mayonnaise, wasabi, salt and pepper.
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For the pumpkin filling, peel the pumpkin and cut it into small cubes. Then steam it until it is cooked. Either with a steamer insert or the classic Asian style with a bamboo steamer. Cut the dried plums into small pieces. Mix all ingredients except 2 tablespoons of sesame in a bowl.
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Halve the amount of rice. Mix one half with the remaining sesame seeds. Use the rice with the sesame seeds for the pumpkin filling.
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Now for the onigiri, take some rice, if you have it, put it in the onigiri mold, put the filling in the middle and finish with rice. Press everything together well and take it out of the mold. Place a strip of nori around the onigiri. Complete.
