h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

K and I are having fun today, making a lunch of something I've wanted to try for a long time- onigiri. Onigiri are stuffed rice balls and are a common item in Japanese bento lunches.

I didn't make a traditional filling, as I don't have any umeboshi (pickled plum) or sushi ginger, and we don't eat fish.

Instead, I made a filling of chopped reconstituted dried shiitake, shelled edamame, tempeh and chopped dulse seasoned with rice vinegar, tamari, a bit of miso paste, wasabi and grated ginger.

To make the rice balls I lined a tea cup with a sheet of plastic wrap, filled with cooked sticky brown rice (to make it sticky I just use more water than normal), then poked a home through to the middle with my finger. Stuff some filling in the hole, put a little more rice on top, then use the plastic wrap to mold a tight ball with my hands. K's making some balls now, as I type.

We're rolling each ball in nori komi furitake (dried nori seaweed and sesame seed). It's common to wrap them in nori strips, too, but I'm out of sushi nori so we'll have them without. K's not as big a fan of seaweed as I am, anyway.

I just tried one, and they are delicious!!

Dulse is nice. Try making dulse hash, with spuds, onions and red peppers. And dulse, obviously.

I love dulse. I first started using it to make paella, because the veggie version just isn't the same thing without at least a vaguely fishy taste, if you know what I mean. Now, I'll eat the stuff right out of the package.

But dulse in hash sounds absolutely divine. I'm going to make that for dinner or for tomorrow's breakfast, I think.

Hmm, I'm wondering if it was such rice balls I had for breakfast while staying at a hotel in Kyoto a few years ago. Heated rice balls wrapped in seaweed and green tea was a more tempting breakfast than the sugary cereals that was the other option.

That sounds about right.

We wound up making ten balls from three cups of rice- six balls left for my lunch on Monday.

I've read that using matcha powder (a powdered green tea) in the water when preparing rice is nice- anyone tried it?

BTW- the rice balls were fantastic! The furitake added a bit of salty flavor, the stuffing was a nice umami, if you know what I mean, and the rice was perfectly sticky. I'm proud of myself.

Hi Were they five sided? My wife uses her hands to make them.

Your wife has some tough hands, Anold! Ours had no sides, and were perfectly round. Next time I would like to try for triangles. But my gosh, was the rice HOT!

I think that she starts by putting a (rice ladle) lump of rice on cling film which is on the counter then using cooking Ohashi making a hole and placing whatever in the middle of the rice , next using wet hands she lifts and shapes the rice moving quickly from one hand to the other , she then puts the rice ball?down onto a plate on one side of the triangle and puts the nori over the other two sides of the triangle, the nori being a standard size denotes the amount of rice used to make the rice ball in the first place, It's sunday/rest day and she's still in bed otherwise I would ask her about it, she's pretty good in answering questions on here as you know.

I think it just becomes a natural thing for a Japanese woman to do ,they all can , my daughter is starting to do it too so I think it must be quickness of the hand movement rather than hard hands

This was the first time I tried- maybe next time or future efforts, I'll be able to use my hands. I also hope that next time I'll have the nori sheets. Though with just the furikake they were very tasty!

How old is your daughter- just curious?

I'll definitely try to learn to get the quickness of the hands down, because we loved them and I will surely make them again and again.

Mue was thirteen in november, she likes her food and is twenty kilos heavier than her mother, we( Mue and I ) can now wear each others trousers she's going to be taller than me .

My wife's up , she said keep the plastic wrap on when molding shape and yes the rice is very hot.

Keeping the plastic wrap on while molding did make a difference. Thanks, Anold. Please also thank your wife for me, for all of the useful tips and advice she's offered from time to time. It's a big help.

And as your daughter is growing like a weed, that speaks volumes for your wife's cooking.

Actually My wife only cooks on Sundays I'm a house husband now
Going back to the hospital tomorrow for my one month checkup

I already knew I liked the sound of your cooking, too.

I hope the checkup goes well tomorrow. I don't like needles, either. Hopefully they won't stick you too much.

Five-sided rice balls? If you make them twelve-sided, you can use them to play D'n'D.

Yeah but they'd wind up being HUGE.

I didn't manage any sides at all, but next time I'm going to try for triangle-ish shape.