Japanese Rice Ball (Onigiri) おにぎり

Bit Bit went out to enrol in some courses and will be meeting Pig afterwards for marketing, so Bit Bit wanted to make something that does not have to be eaten warm and simple to eat. Since onigiri has been on Bit Bit's mind for a long time, Bit Bit decided to make onigiri. However, since Pig is a vegetarian, Bit Bit made two onigiris made of tuna mayo and bonito flakes, and two vegetarian onigiris made of teatree mushrooms and beansprouts.

The onigiris took about an hour to complete.

Things that Bit Bit found out about onigiri:

• Japanese rice is needed to make onigiri as it has a sticky texture, which will hold in the onigiri in shape.
• Bit Bit used one cup of uncooked rice to make four big onigiris, so one cup of uncooked rice can actually make about 5 to 6 onigiris.
• Japanese rice needs more water to cook, as compared to the normal white rice.
• It is actually quite hard to shape the onigiri well for a first timer, so perhaps instead of triangular shapes, a ball shape or a round rectangle shape will be easier.
• Using a piece of seaweed to hold the onigiri can prevent the rice from sticking to one's hands.
• Onigiri is good for bentos.
• Bit Bit prefers sprinkling salt on the hands, instead of soaking hands into salt water to hold the onigiri as Bit Bit feels that using salt water does not give the onigiri a significant salty taste.

Ingredients that Bit Bit used for Onigiri:

1. Uncooked Japanese Rice - 1 Cup
2. Water - 1.5 Cups
3. Tuna Mayo - 1/4 Tin of 150gm
4. Bonito Flakes - About 1 to 2 Tbsp
5. Light Soy Sauce - 1 Tsp
6. Seasoned Teatree Mushrooms - 1 Tbsp
7. Beansprouts - A Small Handful
8. Ssamjang - 1 Tsp
9. Canola Oil - 2 Tsp

Method that Bit Bit used to make Onigiri:

1. Wash and rinse the rice for about three times.
2. Add the rice and water into a pot.
3. Cook the pot of rice at medium heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Stir the rice every 5 minutes to ensure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. Continue cooking the rice until the rice tastes 80-90% cooked. Add more water if the water is too little.
6. When the rice is 80-90% cooked, and is slightly moist, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid.
7. Steam for about 10 to 15 minutes, with the pot's remaining heat. The rice for the onigiri is done.
8. Add some salt into a bowl of water, where the salt water must taste salty so that it will give flavour to the rice.
9. Dip one's hands into the salt water. Do not dry the hands.
10. Scoop some rice and hold it in one hand.
11. Flatten the rice a little and form a hole in the middle of the rice.
12. For the tuna mayo onigiri, add some tuna mayo into the hole of the rice.
13. For the bonito flakes onigiri, mix the bonito flakes with light soy sauce and add it into the hole of the rice.
14. For the teatree mushrooms onigiri, add some teatree mushrooms into the hole of the rice.
15. For the beansprouts onigiri, heat up a pan, add oil, stir fry the beansprouts, remove the beansprouts from the pan, add the ssamjang to the beansprouts, mix well, and add the seasoned beansprouts into the hole of the rice.
16. Use the rice on the sides and cover the hole.
17. Use two hands and roll the rice into a ball.
18. Then, use the palm of one hand to support the rice, and use the palm and third and fourth finger of the other hand to mold the rice ball into a triangular shape.
19. Repeat steps 9 to 18 for the different fillings.
20. Serve and eat!