Vegan Recipes: Onigiri

Showing posts with label Onigiri. Show all posts

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Two Japanese inspired Vegan recipes: Onigiri and Soba with Furikake

When times are busy it is good to take out same ready make furikake. Furikake is a Japanese style seasoning, usually used to top rice, but useful for other dishes as well. I found one that I really like: Citrus Furikake from Pacific Harvest, (FYI, I have not been endorsed, payed or given free products by the company, but hey, if you have any free samples - vegetarian of course, do send them this way! :-). I love seaweed and this furikake is a mixture of 5 seaweeds: naturally flavoured kelp, karengo, sea lettuce, ao-nori, wakame, plus sesame seeds and a nice citrus touch. At home usually we sprinkle it directly on rice, or make onigiri (rice balls), or use it on noodles, vegetables, and a variety of dishes. Here are two examples.

Onigiri with furikake

To make the onigiri cook some Japanese (or sushi) rice (rinse it first until the water runs clear). When the rice is still warm wet your hands with water, rub them with just a little salt, and shape the rice balls with your palms. Sprinkle some furikake on top of each onigiri, or roll part of the onigiri onto the furikake for an even covering (but do not cover the whole rice ball with it, furikake is salty, and you just need a little bit).

Soba with Furikake

Super quick lunch: I cooked some bok choy like in here, and some soba like in here, but I didn't rinse the soba under cold water at the end: as soon as I drained the soba I mixed it with the hot bok choy, and then each diner sprinkled a bit of furikake on top. Simple, fast and the kids loved it!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Love Heart Ume Onigiri

In the previous post I made heart sushi and talked about cooking sushi rice.

But if you don't have sushi rice, nori seaweed or sushi vinegar, or a sushi mat to roll your sushi, you can still try this method:

Cook some short grain (not long grain, basmati or Thai) rice by absorption and then start working it when it is still warm. Wet your hands with water, and rub them with just a little salt, then press some rice into a heart shaped cookie cutter. Add something colourful in the centre, I added a umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum), and then gently press the heart out of the mould into a serving plate.

This version is very easy and effective!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Ume onigiri, Japanese rice balls with pickled plums

My husband has just returned from Japan, he asked me what I wanted and I said umeboshi (Japanese pickles plums), because they are difficult to find here in New Zealand. And because I had a craving for onigiri! Now, onigiri are often called rice balls, but the fact is that in Japan (and overseas) I mostly see triangular onigiri. Somehow I really like the round ones though, they look like the rice balls Kintaro's mum made for him (with a ume inside) in the story book I read to my children when they were small. They somehow feel... traditional? Funny for me to say that, since I am not Japanese :-)

To make the rice balls cook some Japanese (or sushi) rice (rinse it first, if it is suitable for sushi it will still stick even if you rinse it) and then start working it when it is still warm. Wet your hands with water, and rub them with just a little salt, then shape the balls with your palms, sticking a whole ume in the middle while you are working. Ready!

If you like you can add some nori seaweed, it tastes great and it is useful to hold your onigiri (which is eaten with your hands, like an apple). Of course I had to make some little faces for the kids!

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