The Sugar Bar

Busy people call for fast food. And that’s probably a reason why my mum gave me Nigella’s Fast Food cookbook last Christmas. Not that I’m a crazily busy person but I have a tendency to forget to eat or whip up the strangest and most unfulfilling meals for one if I’m busy with essays and deadlines. In the cover of the book, mum wrote me a very sweet note, part of which she mentioned that dad and her realized I hadn’t been given anything substantial for a few Christmases now. Hence, she hopes I’ll enjoy the cookbook and continue with my cooking and baking journey.

Sweet, eh?

And surely, this post has nothing to do with Nigella? Onigiri doesn’t seem Nigella-ish at all. There’s no large knobs of butter or fat in it. Uh-oh, problem here? Not really. Nigella’s Fast Food brings recipes quick and easy to prepare that don’t compromise on taste or eyeball-appeal actually. I’ve not tried many of the recipes from it, but the ones I’ve attempted are pretty damn good. Which brings me to the point of this post - easy, quick, pretty comfort food for busy people (or lazy ones). Make this the day before, pop’em in the fridge and you’ve got your portable lunch sorted for the next day or any mid-day cravings.

Onigiri, or Japanese rice balls, are popular little snacks you find in bentos or all wrapped up individually available in convenience stores (of Japan) or sushi bars (of London). And it’s the best late-night snack, in my opinion. I dislike late-night snacking and therefore I don’t do supper. But evening college, somehow, has got me late-night snacking loads and not wanting anything greasy, or boring like a piece of toast, all I want is a flavoursome rice ball, a cuppa tea (if I can handle the caffeine) and then bedtime.

I hadn’t made anything that reminded me of home lately and definitely haven’t gotten very hands-on in the kitchen. Holed up in my room, I’m constantly doing my readings, checking my emails and Blackberry, contacting people to do this and do that or what have I not done, running to uni to use the printer or getting books out of the library, getting distracted by Twitter, etc. Sorting out my 3 main meals (actually 4 really) becomes quite tricky and a chore after a while. I hate to say it, but sometimes I’m relying on things like instant pot noodles, instant soup packets, instant instant instant. And it makes me feel a little gross inside. Anything instant is surely a little wrong somewhere.

So getting back into the kitchen was a great feeling. And having the hot freshly cooked rice in my hands, moulding it as I went along was very refreshing and kept my thoughts from straying back to my work and my readings. Cooking can be relaxing and gave me a bit of a breather. Looking at my cute triangular handiwork at the end of it was pretty rewarding too and I went back to my readings after feeling more awake and revived than if I’d just had a double shot espresso. Effective!

But eating it is still the best bit.

I quite like onigiri with shiozake filling (salted salmon flakes) but I didn’t have any of this available and I wanted my onigiri just uncomplicated for a simple lunch or late-night snack. I love adding nori seaweed strips to them but I was making this to keep in the fridge for a few days into the week so the seaweed would’ve gotten soggy by then. Thought these looked cute without any anyway. Alternatively, keep your seaweed strips separately and add to onigiri before eating. For more information on onigiri, I find Just Hungry a good website for that. It’s also got an FAQ page for the curious.

***A tip for shaping your onigiri: use the flesh between your thumb and index to form the triangular points. If you put touch the index finger of your right hand to the left’s and the thumb of your right to your left’s, it gives you a triangle yes? Support the rice ball with your left palm, and use that bit of your right hand to shape one corner. At the same time, use your left and gently start to form the other corner. Then turn anti-clockwise, and let your right hand continue to form that pre-shaped corner.

Easy Onigiri
Ingredients
For 4 regular sized onigiri:

about 4 cups hot cooked Japanese rice
furikake seasoning of choice
fillings of choice (optional): salted salmon (shiozake), bonito, mentaiko, etc.
nori seaweed strips (optional)

Use only fresh, hot cooked rice. You’ll find it hard to shape rice that’s cold or a day old. Make sure hands are clean as well, obviously for hygiene reasons and to ensure that no other flavours go into your onigiri.

Wet hands with cold water. This will help keep the rice from sticking and make it easier to shape. Take nearly a cupful of rice and place into your hand. Form a little dent in the middle if you are using a filling and put about a tsp into it. Gently close up your palm and wrap the rice around the filling and form into a ball.

You can form your onigiri into balls or shape them into triangular ones. Wrap with nori seaweed or leave it naked.Make sure you work quickly or the rice will start to stick to your hands. Place on a plate to let cool whilst you work on the others.

Wet hands with cold water between each onigiri to prevent sticking.

I leave this to cool to room temperature before wrapping them up in a sandwich bag or placing in a bento box to keep in the fridge.