Author Notes: I love Japanese Rice Balls, I am always adding my own flavors to the rice and experimenting with different fillings, this time I decided to flavor the rice with wasabi and use an edamame filling. —vegetarianirvana
Serves: 4-5 pieces
Ingredients
-
1 cup
sushi rice [Nishiki @ Whole Foods]
-
1/2
teaspoon wasabi [I used the type that comes with your sushi ] the one in the green tube is milder, use whichever type that suits you, same with the quantity.
-
1
tablespoon of cooked edamame
-
Some
black or white sesame seeds to coat the onigiri
-
some
crushed roasted unsalted nori to coat the onigiri
-
salt
to taste
Directions
- Cook sushi rice per packet directions. I cook it per my Japanese friend’s guidance which is 1 cup rice in 1 cup +1-2 tablespoons of water in the small rice cooker.
- Meanwhile keep an empty glass bowl, a bowl of water and the cooked edamame ready. Add some salt to the sesame seeds and the crushed nori sheet and put them in two seperate plates to roll the rice balls in.
- Once the rice is done let it rest for 10-15 minutes.Then put the hot rice in the glass bowl and add the wasabi and mix it in quickly and uniformly.
- While the rice is hot, wet your hands in the water and shake off the excess and take about 1/4 cup of the wasabi spiked rice and form a ball and make an indentation in the middle. Fill this with 3-4 soy beans[edamame] and cover the rice over it and shape it into a round pressing firmly so it doesn’t fall apart. Other shapes are cylinderical and triangular. These are called onigiri. They are ready to be rolled in sesame seeds and crushed seaweed.
- Traditionally the onigiri is decorated with strips of nori. I have coated the onigiri with white seasme seeds and crushed seaweed[nori] by rolling the onigiri in them. You can also do a mix of sesame seeds and crushed nori.
- The shapes that you make should be pressed firmly so it will hold. There are so many interesting fillings but as a vegetarian I am limited. I have used white sesame seeds because I prefer them to black. There are other methods like using a mould or plastic wrap to make shapes.
- I serve them with a spicy sauce. Equal parts rice vinegar to soy sauce, some finely chopped spring onion and a dash of sambal olek. Enjoy!