Onigiri (Asian Rice Balls)

These rice balls are a Japanese treat. Many Japanese children take them to school in their lunch boxes!

Ask an adult to help you make 5 cups of Japanese short rice (also known as sushi rice). The reason you want to use this rice is because it is stickier than long grain rice and will help your balls hold together.

Once the rice is cooked and has cooled, divide it into three bowls.

In one bowl, mix in bonito (tuna) flakes. If you want, you can mix some soy sauce into the bonito flakes before putting it into the rice.

In a different bowl, mix in about 1 cup of cooked salmon. It helps if you flake the salmon apart with a fork.

In the third bowl, mix in some chopped pickled plums (ume).

Wet your hands, and then shape the rice into a ball, cylinder, or triangle.

Wrap the ball in a strip of nori (dried seaweed). You can seal the ends of the nori together by using a little bit of water as paste.

Then you’re ready to eat!

If you don’t like those ingredients, you can also use thinly sliced carrots, tuna, or cucumbers.