So I used to get these at this AMAZING Japanese bakery near my old office on 44th street. It's AMAZING, cause everything is cute and perfect and delicious and under $4. Also, they have a Beard Papa in the store and everything is better with Beard Papa (seriously, if you're having a bad day, Beard Papa tops my feel good treats list).
Anyways, I recently found these Onigiri at JAS Mart on Saint Marks (which bummed me out cause I used to live a block away for two years and never knew they had these yummy treats). Anyways, since I've been packing my own lunch lately, I thought I'd give these a try at home.
What it is: Rice Ball, stuffed with filling, eaten wrapped in a fresh sheet of nori (seaweed)
My version:
Rice - I've read that sushi is actually really bad for you cause you're eating like a pound of white rice per roll, which is the same as I don't know half a loaf of Wonder Bread, so I tried to healthy this up using brown rice. Although I quickly learned that to help this stay you need sticky rice, so I used 1/2 Japanese medium grain rice and 1/2 cooked brown rice.
Follow the directions on the rice packaging (mine called for 1 1/2 c rice, 2 cups water; bring to a boil; cook 10-20 min covered until water is absorbed; let sit 10 min covered). The brown rice is from Trader Joes, you just microwave it for 60 seconds with a slit in the package for the steam to escape.
Mix 2 cups or so of each rice in a large bowl until brown rice is well distributed. (I like to mix in 2 tablespoons of flax seeds for extra health, but you can also use sesame seeds)
For an easy filling, I used drained tuna fish and drained salmon (both from the can).
Next spoon two spoonfuls of rice mix into a 1c. measuring cup. Pack it down with a 3/4 c. measuring cup, which should fit easily into the larger cup. Then put filling in the center of the packed rice. Spoon on two more spoonfuls of rice and pack again. Flip the 1c. measuring cup and tap it until rice pattie falls free. Wrap with nori. Eat :)
Mess: 5 (That sticky rice sticks to everything, also it takes a number of instruments to make these)
