Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

おにぎり

Ingredients

2 cups Japanese rice 2.5 cups water 1 tsp salt fillings: tuna mayo/umeboshi/salmon nori sheets

Detail Steps and Procedure

1. **Rice Cooking:** Wash rice until water runs clear. Soak 30 minutes. Cook with 2.5 cups water. Once boiled, reduce to lowest heat, cook covered 12 minutes. Turn off heat, steam 10 minutes. [CRITICAL: Do not lift lid during cooking/steaming]

2. **Seasoning:** Transfer rice to wooden bowl, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt dissolved in 1 tbsp water. Fold gently with rice paddle, fanning to cool to body temperature (37°C/98°F). [TECHNIQUE: Fanning creates glossy, non-mushy rice]

3. **Shaping:** Wet hands with salt water. Place ⅙ rice in palm, make indent, add 1 tsp filling. Cup hand, shape into triangle with gentle pressure. [CRITICAL: Don’t squeeze too hard – rice should hold but not be dense]

4. **Finishing:** Wrap with nori strip just before serving. [SERVE: Room temperature. STORE: Wrap individually in plastic, refrigerate 24 hours. Nori separate until serving to stay crisp.] Note: 6balls

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