Onigiri!
Thinking about getting back into packing bento boxes, and feeling ready for tackling some Japanese cooking that's slightly more complex than Miso soup. Eventually I want to be able to make my own sushi, at least occasionally for fun.
So last weekend I tackled Onigiri, basically a Japanese rice ball with filling or no filling. They are easily portable and filling which I like filling being a problem I sometimes have with lunches. I used Maki's directions from Just Hungry.
They turned out pretty good, and for once my rice turned out right... I really should just remember to follow the directions exactly when cooking Japanese style rice and not just go with what I remember. I usually remember wrong!
my happy bowl of rice waiting to be formed.
my one cute mold... because what's a bento lunch without at least one element of cute?
I did decide that I have an easier time with the hand formed ones rather than my molds by the end of the process.
nori, which is not my favorite, I find a little bit goes a long way unless there are equally strong flavors competing with it. However, cpt_antilles would've loved to have eaten the whole packet plain.
The molding set up and the fillings, not having traditional fillings on hand I found that various Indian pickles were a good substitute! Really I suppose any strong salty spicy flavor will do.
A pretty pickled ginger filled one sitting in the teacup--- before I pack it for storage.
and the one bear shaped one that survived, he has eyes of nori, and a tongue of pickled ginger. Filling the molded ones is not good! Every one I filled refused to release from the mold or the halves didn't stick together properly...
and finally the proceeds of the afternoon-- sitting in my crock-pot because it was handy.
All in all it was fun and I'd do it again!
So last weekend I tackled Onigiri, basically a Japanese rice ball with filling or no filling. They are easily portable and filling which I like filling being a problem I sometimes have with lunches. I used Maki's directions from Just Hungry.
They turned out pretty good, and for once my rice turned out right... I really should just remember to follow the directions exactly when cooking Japanese style rice and not just go with what I remember. I usually remember wrong!
my happy bowl of rice waiting to be formed.
my one cute mold... because what's a bento lunch without at least one element of cute?
I did decide that I have an easier time with the hand formed ones rather than my molds by the end of the process.
nori, which is not my favorite, I find a little bit goes a long way unless there are equally strong flavors competing with it. However, cpt_antilles would've loved to have eaten the whole packet plain.
The molding set up and the fillings, not having traditional fillings on hand I found that various Indian pickles were a good substitute! Really I suppose any strong salty spicy flavor will do.
A pretty pickled ginger filled one sitting in the teacup--- before I pack it for storage.
and the one bear shaped one that survived, he has eyes of nori, and a tongue of pickled ginger. Filling the molded ones is not good! Every one I filled refused to release from the mold or the halves didn't stick together properly...
and finally the proceeds of the afternoon-- sitting in my crock-pot because it was handy.
All in all it was fun and I'd do it again!