Jumbo yaki-onigiri with salmon and rocket

Onigiri is a popular and affordable Japanese cooked rice snack that is widely available from convenience stores throughout Japan, commonly shaped into palm-sized triangles and wrapped in crisp nori seaweed. Ensure your freshly cooked Japanese rice is slightly sticky, not gluggy, for the best onigiri results.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked koshihikari rice (sometimes labelled as “sushi rice”)
• 2 tsp furikake, plus extra to serve
• salt, to season
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 boneless salmon fillet (about 180 g)
• ½ sheet nori, finely shredded, to serve
• 2 cups rocket leaves
• lemon wedges, to serve

For the miso soup

• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp white miso
• 100 g silken tofu, drained and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2 thin spring onions, finely sliced
• 5 g dried wakame, soaked and drained

Instructions

1. To make the onigiri, combine the cooked rice in a large bowl, sprinkle with the furikake and use a spoon to stir through. Moisten clean hands with water, sprinkle your palms with a little salt and mould the rice gently into a large disc, around 3 cm thick. Take care not to mash the rice together too much. The grains should remain separate.

2. Heat 2 medium frying pans over medium heat. Add half the oil to the first pan, then add the salmon fillet, skin-side down. Add the remaining oil to the second pan, then add the onigiri. Gently use a spatula to help the onigiri retain a circular shape. Cook both for about 4 - 5 minutes without turning, until the skin of the salmon is crisp and the onigiri is crisp on one side. Flip both, then cook the salmon until cooked to your liking and remove from the pan. Gently use a spatula to transfer the onigiri to a serving plate.

3. To make the miso soup, combine the water and fish sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to very low, then place the miso in a small sieve or large ladle and submerge just under the surface of the liquid. With a stirring motion, use a spoon to dissolve the miso into the soup. Add the tofu, spring onion and drained wakame, then remove from the heat.

4. Flake the salmon fillet into large pieces over the onigiri, then top with the rocket leaves, shredded nori, and an extra sprinkle of furikake. Serve with lemon wedges and the miso soup on the side.

Note

• To cook the rice, place the rice in a heavy-based saucepan and cover with plenty of water. Use your hand to stir. Carefully pour off the cloudy water and repeat the rinsing process about three times until the water is less cloudy. Add more clean water until it reaches about 2 cm above the surface of the rice. Place over high heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until the water level reaches the top of the rice and holes appear in the surface where the steam escapes. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to very low. Continue to cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and stand for a further 5 minutes without removing the cover. Remove the cover and fluff the rice with a cutting motion of a rice paddle. Allow to stand, uncovered for a further 2 minutes to allow excess steam to be driven off. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Fancy In 15

Watch the full episode here

PG

Watch the full episode here

PG