Rice Balls

[Snowkeeper]

:confused:
Hi All.... I am trying to learn some new recipes for rice balls.
My 3 year old daughter loves them.
Anyone care to share some recipes?

Im just learning about Japanese food... so I am also interested in learning about other foods as well.
Thankyou!
Snowkeeper in Alaska
:heyhey:

[maji]

are those the riceballs old people at times choke and die of in japan? i think i read once something like that

[jeisan]

i just take some sticky rice out of the cooker then mash and mould it to ball form then eat it. but i like plain rice and im lazy...

[Snowkeeper]

Are rice balls called Onigiri?

And arent there many different ways of preparing them?
Different seasonings, flavors..etc..?

Still learning!!! Lots to learn!!
:note: ;)

[kirei_na_me]

maji, mochi is what old people sometimes choke to death on. That is rice that has been pounded into great stretchy, sticky-ness. It's a must-eat at New Year's...

One thing that I do is just pour furikake(seasoning usually put on top of rice) in with the rice and just mix it up and mold it into balls, but there are better, more complex ones...

Be back with some recipes...I hope...

Yes, onigiri... ;)

[Erik]

Originally posted by Snowkeeper
Are rice balls called Onigiri?

And arent there many different ways of preparing them?
Different seasonings, flavors..etc..?

Still learning!!! Lots to learn!!
:note: ;)

Yeah, it's called ONIGIRI. Basically they're all the same usually,just some are made with raw fish, others are made with fish shavings and then there are some with vegtables. I've even had the onigiri toasted with sesame seeds... this was quite good!

[kirei_na_me]

Not being skilled in onigiri making, I looked up some stuff and found a few sites that might be helpful.

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/091_e.html

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/krrn/discoveries/recipes/1201/rice_balls.shtml

http://www.jinjapan.org/nipponia/nipponia16/bon.html

I'm thinking I would love to have a tempura rice ball right about now...

[bezz]

There's a site (http://www.komenet.or.jp/onigiri100/event/onigiri/) with a lot of pics (they tend to remove nori to show "inside") including some wild recipe. As for local specialities, this site (http://www.gohan.ne.jp/okome-data/03/03_m08.html) looks better...

http://www.komenet.or.jp/_qa/kome_chishiki/img/onigiri_konbini_3.jpg

[torakris]

I just discovered this site and it looks great!

my favorite onigiri are a combination of shiso and sesame seeds or a combo of freshly grilled salmon and ikura.
My kids will eat onigiri with whatever is their furikake of the moment

[neko_girl22]

I love onigiri ;)
Just don't make them too soon after coming out of the rice cooker - ouch red hands!
I also love convenience store onigiri - my favourite used to be tuna and mayo. 3 years ago when I was in Japan I could've sworn the tuna was INSIDE the rice, now it's on the side of the rice under the nori........ maybe I'm just remembering wrong....

[torakris]

I also love convenience store onigiri - my favourite used to be tuna and mayo. 3 years ago when I was in Japan I could've sworn the tuna was INSIDE the rice, now it's on the side of the rice under the nori........ maybe I'm just remembering wrong.... [/B][/QUOTE]

I think it just depends on where you buy them, I have had them both ways.

[Yoshihara]

My mom used to make onigiri by salting the rice before she made the rice ball. Me and my sisters used to tear them things up.....

My all time favorite was Beef Koroke. I used to help my mom make it. You take mashed potatoes and add fried (grease drained) hamburger meat in it. You crack some eggs in a bowl and roll the potato ball in it to make it sticky. Then you roll the ball in PANCO (bread crumbs). Bake in the oven and boo-ya!!!!!!!! It's really good!

Anyone used to run after the sweet potato truck like I did when I was growing up in Okinawa?

Yo, mochi is so good to me, I burned my hand severely trying to fry some when I was 10. Almost burned my house down. 3rd degree burn on my hand...it was awful. I have the scar to this day...but I still eat mochi. The refrigerated kind you get that is powdered and has sweet beans in it, is the bomb, too!!!!! Yall, don't get me started!!!!!!!!!! :)

[samuraitora]

Great links and info. My son had rice balls and sushi with me this weekend. He wasn't that impressed. He still wants his chicken and french fries...too funny

[Will]

well, my neighbor's mom used to make onigiri for me and my brother every once in a while, and she would put miso sauce into the onigiri, and wrap it with nori... im pretty sure it was miso sauce, i cant really remember, its almost been 9 years since i have been in Japan.

[bezz]

found another site (http://www.gohan.gr.jp/9/contents.html) about onigiri/omusubi

http://www.gohan.gr.jp/4/image_mark/prize1.jpg

[mangameep]

Hi. I am making onigiri with my sister's Girl Scout troop next week, and although I have found many recipes on the Web, I am still confused on many points. How much rice should I use for each onigiri? How big should the nori sheets be for different styles of wrapping? And does the nori have to be heated? Thanks for your help!

[deborah gormley]

just seen the pics of the rice balls,, wow they look delicious:bow: I'm sorry to say all I have at home right now is boil in the bag rice,but I can add a chicken/beef stock cube to spice them up a little, but I'd pay a fortune to have the real rice ball here right now:o

[Belle]

I was going to try to make onigri. I looked all over the city but i couldn't find even one japanese store. So i went in to one Vietnamese store and the woman on the counter never heard about nori (as that was the only thing i was missing) i try'd to explain to her what it was but she didn't have any. So i couldn't make them :(

[bezz]

found another site (http://www.gohan.gr.jp/9/contents.html) about onigiri/omusubiThe page was moved, now available here (http://www.gohan.gr.jp/07/contents.html).

[playaa]

hmm, these sound good.. Maybe Kirei_na_me will make me some! MMMMMMM :D

[kirei_na_me]

If you're nice and buy me a really beautiful corsage for the prom, playaa... :p

[sora]

...hmm..looking at those rice ball pictures got me hungry..lol..^^''..

[playaa]

Kirei you know I will! :D

[bezz]

7-Eleven Chief Wants to Toss Rice Balls to U.S. (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=5109738)

http://www.gohan.ne.jp/JPEG/0112.jpg

[Haivart]

I like the idea. Of course, they'll never match the ones I get at the Chinese stores. :ramen:

[bezz]

This is an article (http://web-japan.org/trends01/article/030121soc_r.html) on the onigiri fad about a couple years ago.

http://www.komenet.or.jp/recipe/recipeimg/ss-058.jpg

[guldo]

I just prepared my first onigiri! Great! :cool:
I was just going to steam-cook some rice, in the first place; it looked good, so I decided to try and prepare some onigiri. :-)
Unfortunately, I don't have the right ingredients... so I just made "plain-vanilla" onigiri, with what I was able to gather: one with grilled sword-fish (if this is its english name...) and one with bacon and cheese.
Shame on me... no nori and no sesame... :(
Nonetheless, it's been quite a nice experiment :-)

Ah, I used some basmati rice, since I had it at home, and it was good :-)

[Apollo]

(...)
Unfortunately, I don't have the right ingredients... so I just made "plain-vanilla" onigiri, with what I was able to gather: one with grilled sword-fish (if this is its english name...) and one with bacon and cheese.


Onigiri with bacon & cheese? This I have never heard about...I have never tasted it. Was it good? :-)

Plz tell me...share your experience. :-)

[guldo]

Bacon & cheese was good! :cool:
I used some very tender cheese and slightly fried some bacon in a pan.
I made another onigiri using ... well ... can't say that in english :sorry:
it's some little fish (about 2-3 inches) cut to slices and put into a spicy (hot) sauce. its strong taste is good for onigiri, I think.
どちらも美味しかったよ。

[lexico]

I just had some today at a Japanese restaurant, but it's been hours now.
Just going thru this thread makes me drool again. :drool:
One thing I noticed about the rice balls; aren't you supposed to add some vinegar when you prepare the rice with salt?
My wife does it with vinegar, and so did this restaurant; but none of the links with recipies mention any vinegar. :?

Another thing is, is california roll any way related to the rice ball? Where did it start? California, Hawaii, or Japan? :?

[epigene]

Lexico-san,

Vinegar is used in "sushi." Rice balls are prepared with salt only.

California rolls are a type of sushi. :-)

Just like pizza, there are a lot of experiments going on with "onigiri." Canned tuna flakes with mayo in the middle of the rice ball was fashionable very recently. "Tenmusu" from Nagoya is also popular:
http://www.med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp/uro.dir/west_33rd/image/tenmusu%20.jpg
That's tempura inside the "onigiri."

[lexico]

Thank you, epigene-san!
I learned something new today.... :blush:

So I guess the nori thing is just an experiment that caught on recently.
If the onigiri was originally sizeable without the nori, and the shushi originally a bite-full with the nori, then the only way to distinguish onigiri from sushi is the size and whether you have vinegar in it? :?

If somebody made a small triangular ball of rice with vinegar and wrapped it with nori, would that be more like an onogiri or a shushi? My son loves those from the covenience stores: I think in traslation they're called "trangular shushi." Would that be an oxymoron in Japanese? :?

[epigene]

Thank you, epigene-san!
I learned something new today.... :blush:

So I guess the nori thing is just an experiment that caught on recently.
If the onigiri was originally sizeable without the nori, and the shushi originally a bite-full with the nori, then the only way to distinguish onigiri from sushi is the size and whether you have vinegar in it? :?

If somebody made a small triangular ball of rice with vinegar and wrapped it with nori, would that be more like an onogiri or a shushi? My son loves those from the covenience stores: I think in traslation they're called "trangular shushi." Would that be an oxymoron in Japanese? :?
Yes, the basic difference is use of vinegar mixed into rice for sushi. Nori is used for both types. Onigiri is basically regular rice formed into balls, triangles, in size larger than sushi.

I've never seen or heard about onigiri made with vinegared rice--so I have no idea...:clueless:
There is norimaki, however, which is sushi:
http://yasuobali.cool.ne.jp/norimaki.jpg

[lexico]

Yes, the basic difference is use of vinegar mixed into rice for sushi. Nori is used for both types. Onigiri is basically regular rice formed into balls, triangles, in size larger than sushi.

I've never seen or heard about onigiri made with vinegared rice--so I have no idea...:clueless:
There is norimaki, however, which is sushi:
http://yasuobali.cool.ne.jp/norimaki.jpgThanks again for excellent definition. :bravo:
Now I feel a little smarter having read your post.
My head is very clear, now!
Please excuse me. Gotta eat something! :relief:

[Suki-Yaki]

I have tried many of Onigiri , cheeze topped onigiri , chicken mayounaise , okaga onigiri , tuna onigiri , pickled peach onigiri , etc etc ..

What only shocked me was the tsume onigiri , I haven't known the tsume was chicken "feet" ...

But what I noticed lately is I haven't tried any of the "sweet" type onigiri. :( Isn't this the "original" type ?? I would like to try a cherry stuffed onigiri ..

By the way , aren't the onigiri , the famous called "rice cakes " ?? or maybe I am halusenating alot .. :bluush: :sorry:

[sabro]

At my mother's house in East L.A. we always had a stock of Ume. Onigiri with ume... I'd pay for that. It is hard to find out here in the Inland Empire area of Southern California. Perhaps too far inland.

[Malaika]

Lexico-san,

Vinegar is used in "sushi." Rice balls are prepared with salt only.

California rolls are a type of sushi. :-)

Just like pizza, there are a lot of experiments going on with "onigiri." Canned tuna flakes with mayo in the middle of the rice ball was fashionable very recently. "Tenmusu" from Nagoya is also popular:
http://www.med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp/uro.dir/west_33rd/image/tenmusu%20.jpg
That's tempura inside the "onigiri."


*drools*

I'm getting VERY hungry, I do remember when I had a triangular shape rice in my hands with nori wrapped with it, but I never like it so I just gave it to my mom to eat it, that is when I was a little kid and now that I'm well more mature, I'm willing to try eating all different types of onigiri

but the picture with the tempura inside the onigiri, THAT is making my stomach grumble, not to mention all the other pictures of rice balls.

*drools more*

hmm...I think I'll try making a rice ball, I mean I totally have furikake in the fridge and rice, I think I have kimchee(sp?) and all that other sorts you would normally see in a fridge.

*tummy growls*

*drools*

:ramen: :gohan: :giggle: :p

[Rayc]

Not being skilled in onigiri making, I looked up some stuff and found a few sites that might be helpful.

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/091_e.html

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/krrn/discoveries/recipes/1201/rice_balls.shtml

http://www.jinjapan.org/nipponia/nipponia16/bon.html

I'm thinking I would love to have a tempura rice ball right about now...

Thanks.

I didn't realise that rice could be cooked like this and served so beautifully! I sure am going to try it on my wife shortly. I bet she will burn with envy! ;):)

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Thanks.

I didn't realise that rice could be cooked like this and served so beautifully! I sure am going to try it on my wife shortly. I bet she will burn with envy! ;):)
Please be careful.
Rice to use for Onigiri is Japonica rice.
When it is Indicab rice, Onigiri does not harden.
Indicab rice does not have adhesive power.

[epigene]

Yes, to supplement Nagashima'san's post, the Japanese short-grained (Japonica) rice has a higher gluten level (i.e., much stickier) than the long-grained rice used in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. If there is a variety that is much stickier than the ones you use for curry dishes, it may work. (Not very sure, though.) :?

Also, make sure to form the ball with the rice is still very, very warm and fresh! You can't make "onigiri" with cold rice. I make "onigiri" only with very hot, freshly cooked japonica-variety rice.

Hope it helps! :-)

[Sally_Hawn]

I love Salmon Roe Onigiri! If you live in Toronto, you can buy different kinds of origiri from Taro (J Town).

[Rayc]

Thank you all for the caution about the rice.

Well, so it will not be a surprise for my wife. I will have to ask her which rice is stickier that is available in India.

[Miko-Kokoro]

Hmm...I've always wanted to make Riceballs...I know I could but, I'm wondering, do you have to use Nori for all rice ball recipes?

[Sensuikan San]

I must confess ....

We all have strange things that immediately run through our minds when we see certain phrases or words .... and I've been resisting posting this for about a week ! But, I've had a good Saturday - and just for a laugh - I have to let it go ... !

I was always told that "Rice Balls" .... was an affliction suffered by POW's during WWII, brought about by their terribly restricted diet ......

Apologies again, and regards,

ジョン :bluush: :sorry:

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Hmm...I've always wanted to make Riceballs...I know I could but, I'm wondering, do you have to use Nori for all rice ball recipes?
ONIGIRI which does not use NORI
"YAKI-ONIGIRI" :cool:
It is crunchy and is fragrant :wave:
recipe
http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/recipes/yaki.html

[Rayc]

What is "Nori"?

[lexico]

Nori is laver or the seaweed paper that's used for wrapping the onigiri.
It comes in dark green, or dark purple, and can be used for wrapping sushi, too.
You can used the powdered kind to sprinkle on your soba noodles, too.
Here's wikipedia Nori, and Onigiri's linked there also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori

Here's a photo of Nori in different colors http://www.eco4u.de/neu/images/nori.jpg
Here's a photo of Nori precooked and packaged http://alcatraz.net/urashima/images/restaurant/nori/kame.jpg

Here's a nice comparison page on the various edible seaweeds. Kaiso: Japanese Seaweeds (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2310.html)

[Rayc]

Lexico,

Thank you.

I take it that one can eat this seaweed paper.

The wikipedia link just opened and it says that it can bee eaten.

Thank you.

[lexico]

You're welcome, Rayc.

Here's a photo of a kid enjoying onigiri.
http://www.takaokaya.com/images/j-imege.jpg

Here's a photo of kids enjoying nori; a favorite snack for many!
http://thestar.com.my/archives/2001/2/13/features/f_sea.jpg

Holloween Golden Bat Nori? Get the recipe at link below!
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/kgk/1098/bats.jpg
Kate's Global Kitchen: Toasted Nori Bat Wings (http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/kgk/1098/kgk101098.html)

A nice, short history of nori eating in Japan. Japanese Culture (http://www.takaokaya.com/eng/culture-J.htm)

Read the full article about rising nori prices! Burying the Seaweed (http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2001/2/13/features/13seaweed&sec=features)

Here's a good encyclopedic source from FAO Seaweeds Used as Human Food (http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.asp?url_file=/DOCREP/006/Y4765E/y4765e0b.htm)

[Doc]

Seaweed is awesome! Especially candied seaweed! I remember when I was little we had an international food day in my junior high school. I was the only one who tried the seaweed, and I liked it too. Just thinking about it makes me start drooling!

Doc

[epigene]

Hi, Rayc, lexico & Doc!

I'd like to add some more information on how nori is used in Japan.

If you look at the photo in lexico's post, there are two nori sheets of different shades of color. The darker green color is untoasted nori. The brighter green one is toasted, which must be done to use. The Japanese today don't like the hassle of toasting each sheet and buy pre-toasted nori. However, I buy untoasted nori (which is hard to find nowadays) and toast it myself each time (over cooking stove fire). This gives the nori a subtle but wonderful fragrance (which many people describe as "smell of the sea").

The large sheet type is used for making sushi rolls. It is cut into pieces to wrap onigiri. Smaller pieces are used as an independent side dish, dipped lightly in soy sauce and eaten with freshly cooked white rice.

There is also flavored nori (precut into small pieces) used as a side dish, served most often at breakfast like this:
http://www1.odn.ne.jp/hoseibaseball/asa2.jpg
I think this is what Doc is talking about. You see it wrapped in plastic in the photo. I personally don't like it served like that. I unwrap them and place them on a small individual plate.

I learned that the Koreans brush each nori sheet with sesame oil and sprinke salt on it before toasting. This adds wonderful aroma. I like eating it this style, too. Great with white rice.

Nori is an excellent source of vitamin A (carotene), minerals and iodine and is very low in calorie and virtually cholesterol-free.

[misa.j]

Hmm...I've always wanted to make Riceballs...I know I could but, I'm wondering, do you have to use Nori for all rice ball recipes?
You can also use toasted sesame seeds, bonito flakes for other variations; you can just roll rice balls around to coat. My grandmother used to make ones with miso paste on them, they were good but could be very salty.

lexico,
The seasoned seaweed mentioned by epinege; is it called 'kim-pa'? Korean friends of mine made them for me, and I would like to learn how to make it.
Do you have or know the recipe I can use?

[epigene]

Hi, misa.j!

I don't know about "kim-pa", but my mother learned from a Korean friend to use a cooking brush dipped in sesame oil and brush one side of nori lightly, sprinkle that side with salt and toast carefully over cooking stove fire. When I was a kid, I used to beg my mother to make it. Even if it's different from "kim-pa," I'd recommend this style to everyone don't like to eat unflavored nori as a side dish. :cool:

[misa.j]

Thanks epinege!
I think I will try to make my own following your directions, but my only concern is toasting the seaweed on the stove part.
That is what I do when I make my sushi; I kind of swish nori right over the direct fire but with sesame oil, wouldn't it get burned?

[epigene]

Yes, you're right! I've burned nori before this way! :emblaugh:

A solution is the "yaki-ami" you normally use to grill fish. It will keep uniform distance from the fire to prevent burning. Still you have to be careful! And make sure the net doesn't smell of fish! :blush:

[lexico]

Hello, epigene, misa.j! This thread is getting exciting!
lexico,
The seasoned seaweed mentioned by epinege; is it called 'kim-pa'? Korean friends of mine made them for me, and I would like to learn how to make it.
Do you have or know the recipe I can use?The untoasted laver, the plain toasted laver, and the seasoned & toasted laver are all called "kim," while the sushi is called "kimpap."
But once you wrap it around the rice, which is "pap," it becomes "kimpap," so what you say isn't bad, Misa.J. :)

use a cooking brush dipped in sesame oil and brush one side of nori lightly, sprinkle that side with salt and toast carefully over cooking stove fire.That's exactly how Koreans do it. After you have finished the oil-brushing and salting, have two sheets back to back with the seasoned sides on the inside. That way the salt doesn't dissipate, and there's less chance of burning the laver while toasting. Because the toasting over a low flame/heated coil on the stove is a little tricky, you might want to get a hold of a 焼き網 Gridiron, a held-held folding mesh/grill that looks like thishttp://cauart.com/namool/photo13/203_0326copy.jpg.

That is what I do when I make my sushi; I kind of swish nori right over the direct fire but with sesame oil, wouldn't it get burned?Right, burning the laver is a big concern. You just have to be more careful. You have better luck if you use an elecritic stove. With a gas stove, it's a little trickier, but somehow people seem to manage! :relief:

Once you're done with the toasting, just cut it in small size and serve it up on the table. (I guess that's obvious.)

EDIT: I just had an unconventional idea about the toasting thing. How about using one of the following ?

1) frying pan: I think this has been done before !
2) micro-wave oven: adjusting temp. & time may be tricky !
3) toaster with the tray (horizontal type): even trickier !
4) a blow dryer: highly unconventional !

If you should want to try any of these strange ways, I would say 1) frying pan would work decently. The pan may heat up a bit, so don't use your best frying pan ! I would say 4) would also work quite well if you don't mind the strange looks on your neighbors' face I they saw you doing it ! :p
The thing is having absolutely no burns at all might take away some of the flavor that gives the laver its distinct "wild sea smell" that epigene mentioned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kimpap: the Korean Sushi

In case you want to do the real "kimpap"="sushi" then the toasting process is pretty much the same but you do not season the laver at all. Some commercially made "kimpap" have some oil brushed onto the finished rolls before slicing. This can make them look good, and prevents getting too soggy.

The rice needs to have less water when cooked, and seasoned while hot with some salt, sugar, a little vinegar (Japanese influence; my wife and my neighbor likes to add vinegar because it helps to water the mouth!) and a dash of sesame oil.

One lady making kimpap
http://file.likejazz.com/Contents/Mt.DoBong/IMG_1787.jpg

Add certain vergetables as dakon, green spinach (boiled for 30 sceonds), thin carrots (fried 1 min), and one strip of thin omlette. These are for the colors as well as the taste and nutrition. The spinach and carrots should be pre-seasoned with some salt, oil, and a little sugar. You could add some fresh cucumber strips with light seasoning or strips of ham. Not all the ingredients are essential, and feel free to experiment.

There is a bamboo roller that helps to firmly and evenly press the insides together. It also helps to prevent bursting during and after rolling. When you are done rolling, slice the rolls in even thickness. You are ready to enjoy your meal now !

In this particular case, the cook applied some oil after rolling, and sprinkled some sesame seeds.
http://blog.dt.co.kr/usr/j/g/jgs4065/15/Dscn1310.jpg

Here is one variant called Chungmu-kimpap. There is nothing else in the roll but rice. But you must have something to help; it can be the "regular kimchi" (kimochi) or the "squid kimchi." The squid kimchi is excellent. My mouth waters just thinking about it ! :blush:

http://www.yakup.com/opdb/files/article/img_ya0407211030.jpg

[Doc]

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/hoseibaseball/asa2.jpg
I think this is what Doc is talking about. You see it wrapped in plastic in the photo. I personally don't like it served like that. I unwrap them and place them on a small individual plate.

Yep that's it!:-) Of course the ones I had weren't in plastic, instead they were in a giant ziploc bag (don't ask me why), and had little black paper like things wraped around them (sorry I don't know what they are :sorry: :(). Yep I really liked the taste of them. I don't know why everybody else was so afraid of them. Probably because they liked more down to earth foods like biscuits and other things that they had there.:p In all honesty I like Asian food more than I do with normal American style foods. Heck my Mother is still wants to take me to a Japanese restaurant for dinner one night. (Too bad my Father hates trying anything new.:p)

Doc

[lexico]

I must confess ....

We all have strange things that immediately run through our minds when we see certain phrases or words .... and I've been resisting posting this for about a week ! But, I've had a good Saturday - and just for a laugh - I have to let it go ... !

I was always told that "Rice Balls" .... was an affliction suffered by POW's during WWII, brought about by their terribly restricted diet ......

Apologies again, and regards,

ジョン :bluush: :sorry:Hello, Sensuikan San!

What you say seems to make sense to me. I think I've heard similar war time stories. In fact rice ball equivalents were often used when people were away from home, or to feed people away from home. It isn't necessarily a from of punishment by the way. Although the hapless POW's will inevitabely recall the horrible times just looking or hearing about the rice ball. :blush:

I'm not sure but the "rice ball" may have been around for more than 2,000 years. Guess how the Chinese Warring States fought their war; eating what and how ? They couldn' just put their arms down for lunch and go to the Chinese restaurant next door. :p

I'm sure if you dig into to the historical records or books of archeology, you would probably find the "rice balls" being carried around and eaten for lunch. Even during the peaceful years, the rice ball can be a relatively-easy-to-make-carry-and-eat-for-lunch kind of meal. Perhaps the fisher, the hunter, the trapper, or the woodsman were all carrying something like this ?

Let me just link you one, the history of the Japanese rice ball onigiri in Japanese Culture and Daily Life (http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/ge/ge05obento.htm).

[Malaika]

*drools*

those pics that you posted up there lexico are starting to make MY mouth water.....and I just ate breakfast. *laughs*

I have a question. on onigiri. I mean if you just make plain rice ball, do you add salt? or like do you put salt on your hands to make the plain rice ball or do you put salt in the rice and let it cook?

I mean I heard that you have to put vinegar(?) in the rice and let it cook and then you put salt on your hands to make the rice.

I'm so confused it isn't funny. :?

[Rayc]

This forum is fabulous. One learns so much about Japan. In fact, the members are to be thanked for their excellent questions and posts.

I loved learning about the Bentoos.

Do post links wherever possible.

Thank you.

[epigene]

Some cute obentos for little kids:
Kindergarten lunch boxes (http://www.geocities.jp/hasemari410526/benntou.html)
Onigiris and flavored rice made in the image of anime characters Anpan-man, Pikachu, Go-Go Five & Tare-panda.

Kids in most elementary and junior high schools eat lunch prepared by the school. So, they don't usually have to take lunch boxes from home. However, kindergarten schoolers need lunch, and young mothers go to great extend to make the lunch boxes fun for the kids! Bento-making comes back again for mothers when kids enter high schools. By that time, the focus is on making BIG lunches for boys and DIET-CONSCIOUS lunches for girls.
This is an example of a mother going all the way!! (Most mothers don't do that! :relief: )
That's going overboard, I say! (http://cookpad.com/kasumin/index.cfm?Page=recipe&RecipeID=147467&Mode=full)

Addendum:
Because we celebrate the Girls' Festival on March 3, I will post a very pretty sushi lunch that is made for special occasions like today:
http://www9.ocn.ne.jp/~dai-2654/shasin/kyodonosanngyou/makisusi111.JPG

[lexico]

*drools*

those pics that you posted up there lexico are starting to make MY mouth water.....and I just ate breakfast. *laughs*Hehe...same here, all the time! I guess that means I'm healthy. :p I have a question. on onigiri. I mean if you just make plain rice ball, do you add salt? or like do you put salt on your hands to make the plain rice ball or do you put salt in the rice and let it cook?

I mean I heard that you have to put vinegar(?) in the rice and let it cook and then you put salt on your hands to make the rice.

I'm so confused it isn't funny. :?I'm a newbie to the word onigiri myself, and this is what the onigiri ghurus are telling me.
Add salt during mixing AFTER cooking the rice, BEFORE molding the balls. The rice can be unusually hot, so be careful btw! And epeigene-san tells me the vinegar is for the sushi, not for onigiri! I was confused there too!But no one to stop you if you want some vinegar. It waters the mouth which is good. * singing* Just a spoonful of vinegar helps the onigiri go down ~ in the most delightful way ~ :D


But I guess in case of an emergency you could add the salt WHILE molding the balls. I've heard some people putting a tablespoon full of salt or Ume (pickled apricots) INSIDE the balls during war times, but what you say about adding the salt ON the surface could be even faster!!

I once tried adding salt BEFORE cooking the rice, but the result was not so good. It somehow takes away the wonderful taste of the rice, which happens to be best if left bland for maximum enjoyment. When camping at high-altitudes, in outer space, or on moon base where atmospheric pressure is low-low, I guess you could add a dash of salt to lower the water's vapor pressure, but I wouldn't use too much!! :relief: :p :evil:

There are some nice onigiri recipe's and info earlier in the thread, but I'll repeat those that still work for all you newbies here!! :p
Here's some from KireiName-san;

Yasuko-san's Onigiri (http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/ya...cipe/091_e.html)
Yummy Japanese-Style Rice Balls by Chisako F. (http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/krrn...ice_balls.shtml)

Here's some from Bezz-san;

Japan's Most Famous 100 Onigiris (http://www.komenet.or.jp/onigiri100/event/onigiri/)
Gohan's Onigiri Recipe (http://www.gohan.gr.jp/07/contents.html)
Gohan's Okome Rice Cooking Recipe (http://www.gohan.ne.jp/okome-data/03/03_m08.html)
Onigiri Article with interesting background info! (http://web-japan.org/trends01/article/030121soc_r.html)

Here's some from Hiroyuki Nagashima-san;

Onigiri without Nori: Yaki Onigiri (http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/information/recipes/yaki.html)

Thanks all for the wonderful links, and have fun either cooking, eating, or just watching the salivating pictures!! :p

[Malaika]

eh....lexico.

Some of the links or mostly some of them don't show and say that its an error. Also...I don't really read japanese in kanji....hehehe.

do you think there is another way that I can click on a link where I can read english and that it doesn't have an error on it?

also thank you for clearing that up for me on the onigiri, now I made my own mouth water and already coming with ideas....*drools*

[lexico]

That's odd. I only included those that worked at the time...these pages come and go I noticed.

Try O-Nigiri RIce Balls (http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia16/bon.html). ;-)

[Arc Light]

you know...I might just try to master the art of the onigiri and other quick little tag-along foods, and if that happens, I'll replace my usual lunch or greasy fast food with them. like someone said in an earlier post, these food and recipe threads are friggin amazing! The stock in my freezer is taking on an Asian influence... :cool:

[Endsight61]

Mmmm, this onigiri sounds good, but sadly I am not the best cook in the world. :sorry: Also, this may sound like a stupid question, but can you eat nori or is it just decoration :souka: :? ? I have only been to a Japanese restaurant once so I am pretty ignorant of certain things :relief: . Do you know if there is a Japanese Cooking for Dummies Book?
*grumble grumble*
I'm experiencing an earthquake in my tummy from the delectable pictures.
"Can't...hold...on...much...Longer!!!" :-)

[Inuyasha-the-kid]

As I noticed some people put break crumbs to make it hard..

http://www.vitalita.com/foodpicts/scicilian-rice-balls.jpg

Also they put it in water to make it stick together,It will really look like a ball.

http://www.thaitable.com/images/Thai/recipes/pictures/5Sticky%20Rice%20Balls%20in%20Coconut%20Milk.jpg

here is quick recipes

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/gif/091_e.gif

I might sound crazy but wasabi would be good to burn your mouth. :p

http://www.kinokonomori.com/image/item/watanabe/umeboshi-s.jpg

dont stuff with umeboshi It tases nasty

[nipponmiss]

yep, always salt the rice when making onigiri. my fave are mentaiko onigiri!

[Dutch Baka]

i love rice balls, and my girl puts in EVERYTHING.. hahaha.. she puts things in every kind of food..

i will ask her if she knows some ;) try peanut butter? or chocolate? haha just an idea ... sweet for kids :p

[Alia]

Yummy!
All these posts about rice balls is making me hungry and I love trying new food.
I'll let you all know how my rice ball experiment goes!

[nanda]

peanut butter and rice? hmm ,, actually i'm thinking about sausage and rice XD~ it's quite difficult to find nori or umeboshi here ..
i can't shape my onigiri >,<
the rice's not sticky enough >,<

[johnny_a]

Are there different kinds of flavored nori?

I had a bag of ajinori from Kobe and it was fabulous. I'd love to get my mitts on some of that again - if any Kobe resident reads this and wants to send me some, please contact me. :)

[Ravenwood]

Can anyone recommend a good commercial onigiri mix?

Thank you.

[Brick101]

Wow, all that got my appetite worked up!
So I tried it myself.
Should'nt have..
Well.. good experience though, we had some smoked salmon sitting in the freezer, after de-frosting it I grilled it in a pan.
Made the rice, not necessarily the "goooey" type of rice, but I thought it was slimmy enough to make a ball out of it.
Um.. maybe not sticky enough, I made the ball anyway instead of throwing it all away. I then put the roasted smoked salmon in it, closed the ball and let it sit there for like 15 minutes.
I just took the bite, the ball did'nt hold at all, broke down. I took a real big bite and got to the middle where the salmon was.
Wow, good taste, too bad it did'nt hold. I was missing the leafs and sesame stuff.
Anyway, I'm not a cook by trade, so I'm not too ashamed of my skills :)
Thanks for the idea!
Cheers!
Matt

[Takaryo]

Ooh...I'm getting hungry. Are the rjapanese rice balls same like the Chinese rice balls? They look the same to me...

[anjusan]

http://www.greggman.com/japan/onigiri/onigiri.htm
I wish convenience stores in the US would stock the above rice balls...
I make rice balls about every other week for my son. I have square and round plastic molds that make perfect shapes every time. I bought the molds at the oriental store. They are great because they are in 3 pieces which enables you to push the molded rice out without sticking to the mold.
Sometimes I stuff them with seasoned chicken meat other times I just sprinkle with sesame seeds or spices. The rice is the crucial ingredient. Recently the local supermarket has been stocking sushi rice. I buy Tamaki Gold from the oriental store, though. It has a great flavour and still retains the natural rice germ for added nutrients.
When I roast the rice balls I form them by hand into triangles using a sheet of saran (plastic) wrap. That way it doesn't stick to my hands. I use my toaster oven and toast both sides. I ususally use a bit of butter in the tray so they don't stick when I flip them over.
Here is a link for rice ball molds. It is hard to imagine if you haven't seen them. http://www.houserice.com/susbalmol.html

:-) :-) :-) :-)