Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Balls)

Serving: 1

Ingredients
65g Japanese rice per onigiri
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
sesame seeds (optional)
onigiri rice mould (optional)

Instructions
Prepare the rice following our online recipe for sticky rice if using a saucepan, or by using a rice cooker if you have one. Once the rice is ready, preheat your oven to 190°C. Grab some hot rice and mould it into a triangular or round shape with your hands, making sure to compact the rice as much as possible to stop the onigiri from falling apart when you grill it. If you cooked your rice the night before and it has become cold, just warm it up a few minutes in the microwave. Keep at least one side flat so you can grill it easily. If you don’t trust your hands, you can use an onigiri mould. Adding a filling to your yaki onigiri is optional, but if you do, simply create a small dent in the centre of the rice and add your chosen ingredient before covering with rice. Be careful though, putting too much filling inside may make your onigiri break apart too easily. Try using cooked tuna or salmon chunks, umeboshi pickled plum even sundried tomatoes.
Grease an oven pan with a little cooking oil and place the onigiri on the pan before putting in the oven. Grill the onigiri for 10 minutes, turning once halfway so that both sides are evenly cooked. Be careful when you turn the onigiri over so it doesn’t break apart.
Don’t turn off the oven yet. After grilling for 10 minutes, take the onigiri out and use a cooking brush to cover both sides with soy sauce. Once you have done that, put the onigiri back in the grill for an additional three to four minutes (turn it over halfway for the best result). Now simply sprinkle some sesame seeds over your onigiri and enjoy.