Onigiri was the first single-subject cookbook that I have fully tested. It was originally written by Ai Watanabe and Samuel Trifot of Gili-Gili, an onigiri shop located in Paris, France. The name of the shop translates from Japanese for “just in time,” for onigiri’s portability.
What exactly is onigiri? It’s white sushi rice shaped into a triangle and wrapped with nori. They are often seasoned or stuffed with sweet or savory ingredients. The cookbook is family-friendly and easy to understand for all cooking levels. As experienced as I am with recipe testing, I picked up a few cool kitchen tricks and trivia. My favorite phrase is fuwa-fuwa, Japanese for airy, the perfect texture of rice.
I worked with my editor David Brothers at Viz Media on all testing and copyediting. I often refer to this book for cocktail hour ideas and for lunches to go. In addition to the 30+ onigiri recipes, you’ll also find a chapter of Soup, Snacks & Pickled Food to enjoy. If you do not have a copy yet, you can get one here.
What are my best 5 recipes in Onigiri?
Cured egg onigiri - Perhaps the coolest technique in the book! You freeze eggs until they’re hard and then peel them. Once they defrost it’s easy to separate the white from the yolk with your hands. The yolks are then cured in soy sauce and mirin before you stuff them into the warm rice balls. It’s gooey and savory, my favorite onigiri of the collection.
Okaka onigiri - A surprising combination of bonito mixed with an alarming amount of soy sauce and wasabi. Every bite is a flare of my nose, but I love it.
Mehari onigiri - I love the presentation of these onigiri. Swiss chard leaves are blanched quickly and then marinated before wrapping the outside of a rice ball in place of nori.
Bacon & asparagus onigiri - If you need to impress a dinner party, these are so cute. You wrap 2 asparagus spears with bacon and sear them in a pan. You nest them in the onigiri as you shape it so they stick out the top.
Nut & miso onigiri - I’ve never had a sweet onigiri before, this isn’t too sweet, but it works! It’s equivalent to a salty peanut butter sandwich with the addition of extra nutty red miso.
As a Meat Eater…
Gyudon onigiri
Garlic pork onigiri
Chanterelle omelette onigiri
Duck breast onigiri
Ume & ponzu chicken onigiri
As a Pescatarian…
Mackerel with miso onigiri
Ikura onigiri
Russian-style onigiri
Tuna-mayo onigiri
Salmon onigiri
As a Vegetarian…
Chetnut onigiri
Goma edamame onigiri
Shiitake onigiri
Tofu curry onigiri
Beet & kinpira onigiri
I would love to hear if you cooked any recipes and posted them on Instagram. Make sure to tag me or send them along via email to randwiches at gmail dot com.