Yaki onigiri (grilled, soy-glazed rice balls)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Ricefreshly cooked, hotStep 2

2. 

   Rice seasoning

   • soy
   • sugar
   • sesame oil
   • salt

   Step 2

3. 

   Soy glazesoy · sesame oilStep 5

4. 

   Miso glaze

   • miso
   • mirin
   • sugar (optional)

   Step 6

5. 

   Butterin ½ tbsp pats (optional)Step 7

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

Cook the rice first (soak 20–30 min, then cook) — it has to be hot or warm to shape. The grill is most of the time: don’t rush it, the crust is the point.

Step by step

1. Rice

2. 

   1Cook the rice

   ~1 h with soaking

   For this step

   • Japanese short-grain rice2¼ cups
   • Water (rice)2½ cups (600 ml)

   • Soak the rice 20–30 minutes, then cook it with the water in a rice cooker or a heavy pot — see onigiri for the pot method.
   • This makes about 990 g of cooked rice: nine 110 g onigiri.

3. 

   

   2Season the rice

   ~5 min

   For this step

   • Soy sauce (rice)3 tbsp
   • Sugar1 tbsp
   • Toasted sesame oil (rice)1 tbsp
   • Kosher salt¼ tsp

   • Stir the soy sauce and sugar together and microwave 30–60 seconds until hot; whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the sesame oil and salt.
   • Hot rice into a large bowl, pour the seasoning over and fold it through with the rice paddle in a slicing motion — don’t mash.
   • Making some miso ones? Set aside 110 g of plain rice for each before you season — the miso glaze goes on plain rice.
   • Let it cool just until you can hold it; it must still be warm to shape.

   

4. Shape

5. 

   

   3Shape firm triangles

   ~8 min

   • Shape nine triangles of about 110 g, by hand or in a wet mold (fill to the top edge, lid on, push down until you feel resistance, flip out onto parchment) — see onigiri.
   • Then press each one again with wet hands, firmer than a normal onigiri: left hand underneath squeezing the sides, right hand a “mountain” on top; press, roll the corner toward you, repeat for all three corners, then 2–3 more times. Loose ones fall apart in the pan.

   

6. Grill

7. 

   

   4Grill until crisp

   medium-low~12 min

   • Line a large frying pan with parchment and set the onigiri on it, a little apart. Medium-low heat.
   • Leave each side alone until it’s crisp and browned before you turn it — two silicone spatulas, one side at a time. Moving them early breaks them.
   • Turn them onto every side, including the edges, until the whole outside is a crisp golden-brown crust.

   

8. 

   

   5Soy glaze

   low~3 min

   For this step

   • Soy sauce (glaze)1 tbsp
   • Toasted sesame oil (glaze)1 tsp

   • Stir the soy sauce and sesame oil together. Turn the heat to low (or off).
   • Brush one side, turn it glaze-side down onto the parchment, brush the top. A minute or so per side until it lacquers and darkens — it burns fast once the glaze is on.

   

9. Variations

10. 

    6Or: miso glaze

    low~1 min

    For this step

    • Miso2 tbsp
    • Mirin1 tbsp
    • Sugar (miso glaze)1 tsp

    • Mix the miso, mirin and sugar. Grill the plain-rice triangles the same way (a little oil brushed on the parchment helps), until both sides are browned.
    • Heat to low, spread miso on top, flip and cook that side 10–15 seconds; spread the other side, flip, 10–15 seconds. Miso burns very fast.

    

11. 

    7Or: butter on top

    ~1 min

    For this step

    • Butter½ tbsp per onigiri

    • Straight off the pan, put ½ tbsp butter on each hot soy-glazed onigiri and let it melt into the crust.

    

12. Serve

13. 

    8Eat hot

    • Best straight from the pan, while the crust still crackles and the inside steams.
    • To keep: wrap each one in plastic and freeze for up to a month; reheat in a frying pan or the microwave.