Onigiri is one of the things that really got me interested in bento in the first place, so why not be ambitious and make it for my first real bento! I went the easy route and chose spam as my filling. Mostly because I really like spam -- it's just automatic when you're a Pacific Islander! I made a batch of 16 last night and stashed them in the freezer to test out how well they actually freeze. I reheated 3 this morning in the microwave, and to my surprise they were still moist, like they were freshly made! I stuck them in a bento box and they were still delicious by lunch time. Needless to say, I think I'll be making a lot more onigiri in the future. |
The process wasn't quite as daunting as expected. I think the only thing that really tripped me up was feeling like I was losing some of the freshness by taking so long to get them all shaped and wrapped up. It was definitely a good learning experience though! Probably the number one thing I'll take away from this is to not use so many green onions next time...that was absolutely my biggest mistake. I guess sometimes I let my love for green onions get carried away!
I haven't had spam in probably half a year or so. You never really notice how much it smells like wet dog food until you've been away for a while, but I digress. I thought maybe I should spice things up and brush on teriyaki sauce before putting them in the pan. On the one hand, it made the spam taste pretty good, but on the other hand, it made my pan really sticky. It's probably not worth the effort next time.
I let them cool down a bit before chopping. I debated about whether I should chop them into small pieces or slice them into slabs. In hindsight, it would have been faster and a bit cleaner to go with slabs, so another lesson learned.
Meanwhile, I had put 2 cups of sushi rice into the rice cooker. This turned out to be pretty close to the amount I needed for 16 onigiri. Once the rice was done cooking, I fluffed it up and let it cool down a bit before transferring it to another bowl for mixing in the green onions and sesame seeds.
Okay, now I could finally put it all together. At first I tried using this fancy onigiri mold. Maybe I wasn't doing it right, but I didn't like they way they came out and it was taking me forever. I ended up just shaping the rest by hand. It actually seemed quicker and I really liked having that extra bit of a connection to the food you're making.
I got kind of annoyed while wrapping them in plastic wrap because it would smush up the nice triangle shape. I might have to figure out a better way to wrap them up later on, but they seemed to do well in the freezer anyway. These got put into a big freezer bag and tucked away for the night!
I took 3 out this morning and put them in the microwave (still wrapped) for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Again, I was really impressed by how fresh they seemed! I unwrapped them and let them cool down a bit before putting them in the box. They were room temperature by lunchtime, but still delicious!
Servings: 4-5 (makes 16)
Time: 45-60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 7 oz. can low sodium spam
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp tuxedo sesame seeds
- Teriyaki sauce (optional)
Directions:
- Cook rice according to package.
- Slice spam into equal sized slices. Brush on teriyaki sauce to each slice (optional). Cook in pan until browned on each side.
- Let spam cool down and chop into small pieces or cut into a specific shape.
- When rice is done cooking, transfer to a large bowl and fluff it with a fork or rice paddle. Chop scallions thinly and stir it into the rice along with the sesame seeds.
- When rice is cool enough to handle, use your hands or a mold to shape the onigiri. Spread 1/4 - 1/2 cup rice in your palm and make a dimple in the middle for the filling. Place your filling inside and put another 1/4 - 1/2 cup rice on top. Squeeze firmly to shape your onigiri into the desired shape.