About the Recipe
This recipe combines two of the mainstays of Japanese cuisine - Ochazuke clear broth and Yakionigiri rice balls. It sounds simple and it is simple, but the flavours are surprisingly deep, sophisticated and satisfying . I recommend you make your dashi stock from scratch instead of using a stock bag - the flavours are well worth the effort.
Ingredients
400g / 14oz cooked Japanese rice
10g / 0.35oz dried kelp (konbu)
20g / 0.7oz dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
1 litre / 1.8pints water
for the toppings:
2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
a few sprigs of celerty leaves
1/2 nori seaweed sheet
a little wasabi paste
for the rice:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
for the dashi stock soup:
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
you'll also need:
cling film
a square of kitchen paper or a muslin cloth
2 tsp sesame oil or vegetable oil
Preparation
cook 2 cups of rice either using a rice cooker or a sauce pan. (you'll need 400g / 14 oz of cooked rice for making 4 onigiri rice balls, so there will be some rice leftover)
to make the dashi stock, putthe water and dried kelp in a saucepan and leave for 30 minutes
meanwhile, prepare your toppings. cut the nori sheet in half and then cut into matchstick strips
next, combine 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 1 tbsp of mirin in a bowl. microwave for 1 min on 600W and set aside
when 30 minutes is up, bring the kelp and water in the saucepan to the boil over a low-medium heat. when the water begins to boil, turn off the heat. remove the kelp. add the dried bonito flakes to the water and leave for 2 - 3 minutes. when the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom of the saucepan, drain the dashi stock into a bowl through a sieve using either a muslin cloth or kitchen paper. next, return the dashi stock to the pan. over a medium heat, add 1 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of soy sauce and stir. then set aside
next, to make your yaki onigiri rice balls. add about the half of soy sauce and mirin mixture to the cooked rice and mix together well.
take a square of cling film. divide the rice into 4 portions.
take 1 portion and place it on the centre of the cling film and use your hands to form a triangular shape rice ball/onigiri lightly. be careful not to squash the rice too hard. repeat with the other 3 portions of rice balls/onigiri. (I recommend you watch the Youtube tutorial if you haven't made an onigiri rice ball before)
pour about 2 tsp of sesame oil into a hot frying pan. place the 4 onigiri rice balls in the pan and fry for about 1- 2 minutes until lightly browned. flip and fry for about 1 minute or until lightly browned.
using chopsticks or a fork, gently set the rice balls on their sides, so that the sides brown too
last, flip the onigiri rice balls onto their back again. turn off the heat and pour the remaining soy / mirin mixture over the rice balls
to serve, place 2 yaki onigiri rice balls into each serving bowl.
pour the heated dashi stock soup over the top. add the celery leaves, sesame seeds and a little wasabi paste on the side of each bowl
last, sprinkle over the nori matchsticks