Surviving The Sprawl - The Many Ways of Rice - Pt.3 Finale Thoughts
So, chummers, sitting through my previous articles on making food that is actually good for you and cheaper than your microwave meals, I figured it was time to finish this with something more...fancy. But, sticking to the ideals of this series, I have decided on a Japanese classic - Onigiri
Onigiri is just sticky rice pressed/shaped into something triangle/ball like on a strip on Nori/seaweed paper. Seasonings (if wanted) and Stuffings (if wanted) are whatever your palate, budget, and desires may be. You see it often in Anime(tions) and the occasional bento box, as thats what its made for. Eat it hot right after cooking, let them cool, eat later at room temp, they're still edible and tasty.
So - How do I make Onigiri? Chummer, I don't want to spend a bunch either making sushi rice, or buying it is even worse - The point is, to have rice sticky enough to be shaped. So lets talk about my ingredients, and then technique, then muching down. I used Premium Jasmine Rice. I washed my rice and let it sit in the water for 2 mins before draining. I also went overboard on my water-to-rice ratio, being as I used a 1/2 cup Rice to 1-2/3 Water (standard would be 1-1/2 cup). I want my rice to be mushy, but still hold shape as a grain.
Then, simply take some Nori, cut it lengthwise with a pair of VERY CLEAN SCISSORS you have used for NOTHING ELSE BUT COOKING. The Nori I got was was unflavored, but salted, and came in huuuge packs for cheap, so I experimented. Surprise, this brand just worked cut, as it absorbed the rather sticky rice's water and stuck. So scoop some out, slap it on the plate, take some rice, throw it in the middle. Make your stack high, wrap it up, and flatten the sides (accomplished by me by using the flat of a knife).
Bam. Onigiri. Where it gets complicated is the fact that Nori is brittle until it gets hot/wet, so be a little careful, or if your making a filling on a hot element or hot plate, you can simply do a few rubs near/on to loosen it up. Not while its truly hot, but while its cooling down, as you'll burn it. And the fact that the rice itself will stick to your fingers, the plate, everything including itself, makes manipulating it into a ball...a bit of work, but fun. Practice makes perfect, but I do not have the practice to make my Onigiri showroom quality, but they still are tasty.
You can make it like this, serve it up with a small serving dish (or shot glass like I did) of Soy Sauce, and worthy of serving to your assosiates. Fillings are as varied as my previous articles addatives, and the Jasmine rice just simply took any flavors of the fillings, as if you eat them like they do in Japan, just eat the whole thing whole, one bite, you get a hint of nori + nori salt, and the filling, with the rice adding all the body of the snack/meal.
> I personally used prepared (soft) tofu seared in a pan after it soaked in Soy Sauce (1/4 Cup) to a dollop of (1/2 tsp) of sesame seed oil. Usual preperations (cutting thin, pressing it dry, marinating) and then using low heat in a pan with canola oil to keep it from sticking. Look up prep on Tofu and you'll do fine.
> Or, my other test, which was simply throwing hot dog chunks in them. Slice thin, cut into quarters, put a bit of rice down, throw the chunk in, add more, roll up, press the sides, bam. Hot Dog Onigiri. Was pretty good...
So, enjoy. Easy enough, Nori is cheap, Premium Jasmine is a few bucks more than standard, and you can make something really similar to a traditional Japanese Meal.
See next time, Space Cowboys