Salmon onigiri (rice ball)

Onigiri is often thought to have a savory filling encased in soft, chewy rice, shaped in a triangle. However, onigiri can be made using mixed rice, where all the ingredients are mixed together before molding into a triangle. This recipe is the easiest and tastiest salmon onigiri, high in protein and full of flavors. 

I remember it was one of the things I looked forward to whenever my family and I had an outing—whether it was a road trip, a day at the beach, or hiking. Depending on the ingredients we had in the fridge, my mom would come up with different onigiris and pack them for us to go. To this day, I like to make onigiri as a quick on-the-go meal, pack them in bentos, or serve them to my guests as they are really easy to eat. 

Salmon onigiri in rice cooker

Typically, rice is cooked in the rice cooker, and salmon is grilled in the oven. However, what if I told you you could make both the rice and salmon in the rice cooker? This not only saves time but also makes cleaning up so much easier and more efficient. Rice cooker recipes have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years, but people in Japan have been doing this for years.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice (2 cups using rice cooker cup or 1.5 cups using measuring using cup)- I like to use short-grain Japanese rice. Some popular short-grain rice brands are Tamanishiki, Koshihikari, and Tamaki gold. Medium-grain Japanese rice will also work. Some medium-grain rice brands are Nishiki and Botan Calrose rice. To make onigiri, make sure it is short or medium-grain rice. Long-grain rice will not have the stickiness factor, so it will not hold up when making onigiri. Some popular types of rice that will not work are long-grain rice, jasmine rice, and basmati rice.
• 1/2 lb salmon filet – make sure it is raw, unseasoned, and thawed salmon. To make it even easier, you can use salmon flakes like this one here. I keep this on hand for days when I need to make a quick meal. If you use these salmon flakes, you can add them to cooked rice, as they are ready to eat.  
• 5 tbsp sake (optional) – cooking sake is used to soak and wash the salmon’s fishiness. This step is optional, especially if you get fresh salmon. Whether fresh or not, I usually do this step to ensure no odor from the salmon.
• Nori sheets – I like to use the precut seasoned nori sheets, which is the perfect size for onigiri. However, you can also use nori sheets and cut them yourself. If you like nori, you can wrap the entire onigiri in nori or cut the piece to whatever size you like. 

Ingredients (continued) Seasoning:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce – I use japanese soy sauce like Kikkoman. If you are concerned with gluten, you can substitute with coconut aminos.
• 1 tbsp dashi powder – dashi powder adds a lot of umami and flavor to the rice. However, make sure it is the powder kind and not the broth kind. The broth will make the onigiri soggier, which is not ideal.
• 1 tbsp sugar – If you are watching your sugar intake, you can omit this
• 3 tbsp furikake – depending on the type of furikake you can, this will change the flavor of your onigiri. I am using a simple nori furikake.
• 2 tbsp sesame oil – sesame oil adds more flavor.
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• salt to taste

Products used

Onigiri mold – I received a lot of questions about where I got my mold. I got it from Daiso, which is equivalent to the dollar store in Japan, but you can also find it on Amazon. I will link it here. This makes 6 onigiris at a time, which is convenient if you are making multiples. However, I have also seen onigiri molds at Japanese grocery stores, which usually make about 1-2 onigiris at a time. 

Rice cooker – The most loved and used rice cooker in Japan is from Zojirushi. They are constantly improving to make rice cook better and tastier. It is a significant investment, but it is good quality and lasts for years. My family had one that lasted over 20 years. Japanese people love rice and are particular about making the “best” rice. While the type of rice used and the quality of water all matter in making good rice, the rice cooker also makes a huge difference.