Onigiri: Japanese for Sandwich

Onigiri making supplies

During the fall I used my bento box almost every day, but holiday cooking and baking derailed my efforts for a time. So, to get back into the swing, last weekend I made a quintessential Japanese lunch dish - onigiri (ahh-NIH-gear-ee). Onigiri is basically a rice ball with some kind of filling. I think of it very much as the Asian equivalent of a sandwich.

I found very simple onigiri instructions on justbento.com But, in short, take Japanese (sushi) rice, which is rather sticky, and make it into a ball with something tasty in the middle. I made 1 1/2 cups of rice and ended up with 12 pretty large onigiri.

A layer of rice with filling.

I used leftover wonton filling from Phineas' last batch of dumplings (ie: pork, shrimp, scallion, napa, soy sauce, etc) for my onigiri. I shaped the filling into little logs and pan fried them. You could use anything you want as filling as long as it isn't too wet. I'm considering using any of these for future batches: meatballs of every stripe (Italian, Swedish, lamb & mint...), chopped up roast pork, herbed goat cheese, some smoked salmon or other cured fish... You only use a little filling, so you want it to be flavorful.

A second layer of rice was added, then I smooshed the onigiri into shape.

To shape my onigiri, I used a rice mold that I bought at an Asian grocery store for a few dollars. Onigiri can come in many different shapes. Mine are fat logs. If you don't have a mold, you can just make them into balls.

Finally, I decorated my onigiri with nori (sushi wrappers) cut into strips and sesame seeds. A sprinkle of salt on each one is also traditional and a real must if your filling isn't too salty.

I'm pretty psyched about my onigiri. They were quick to make and the variations are virtually endless. And they freeze well. I brought a few to work in my bento box for lunch this week - they reheat well in the microwave or are fine eaten at room temperature. I'll definitely be making more soon.

Chinese BBQ

One of my pantry staples is a chinese barbecue sauce that is made almost entirely from other pantry ingredients. This sauce is sweet, spicy and garlicky, and goes equally well on ribs as it does on chicken. I've made it so many times, that I don't actually measure ingredients anymore, but over the weekend, I took the time to measure amounts so that I could tell them to you. Here goes:

Chinese BBQ Sauce
6 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbs rice wine vinegar (cider, sherry or other is ok)
1 bottle hoisin sauce (20oz or so)
1/3 cup soy sauce (I use some dark and some light)
2 tsps honey
1 tbsp sesame oil

Saute the garlic and pepper in canola until fragrant and starting to brown. Add vinegar and bring to a boil. Add next 3 ingredients and simmer until sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and wisk in the sesame oil.

Last night, Phineas and I made a bunch of chicken wings to go with Monday night football. Just cook the wings either on a grill or under the broiler until nearly done. Slather on sauce for the last few minutes of cooking, and you are ready to dig in!



And then today, leftovers became part of a bento lunch with fried rice, bok choi (hidden under wings) and cucumber.

Obento!

I generally bring my breakfast and a snack to work and buy my lunch. But lately I've been bored of the lunchtime offerings near my office. Then the NY Times ran an article on the growing popularity of bento boxes, and I knew I had my answer to boring lunches.


A very simple explaination of bento, or obento, is that it is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. However, a bento can be very simply rice, veggies and meat or fish packed in a plastic container, or it can be a "cute bento" - a child's school lunch full of fun accessories and fanciful presentation meant to trick them into eating good-for-you food, or it can be elevated to an artform with carved fruits and veggies and the like. Anything goes. But the whole point is to create a balanced meal that is easy to transport and pleasing to the eye.

So, I was thrilled to get a bento box for my birthday. Mine is a slick 2 tiered one in blue and white. Each lid doubles as a cooling/gel pack once you freeze it, so no worries about keeping my lunch fresh. It also came with dividers, so you can partition your food. In general, you are supposed to pack your box pretty tightly, with 3 parts rice or other carb, 1 part protein and 2 parts vegetable. Including two different veggies/sides is traditional.

Here is my very first 2-tiered bento box creation.

Top tier: Breakfast and snack

This tier has cut up strawberries topped with yogurt, granola and honey on the right, and a pile of baby carrots on the left.

Bottom Tier: Lunch

Tier two has a bed of couscous topped with a few slices of sausage, asparagus and poached sliced shrimp on the right, and cut up red pepper and broccoli on the left. I have to say that this bento was pretty easy to put together thanks to the leftovers from my birthday. All the veggies are leftover crudites that were already cut and blanched. The slivers of sausage were also from my bday. The couscous and shrimp were last night's dinner.

I'm getting hungry just writing this post. Anyway, my goal is to try to bring in my lunch twice a week, depending on leftovers. Whenever I make a good looking box, I'll post it.