Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball)
A favorite at izakaya restaurants, Yaki Onigiri are Japanese rice balls that are pan-grilled and glazed in savory soy sauce. With a crispy crust on the outside and tender rice on the inside, these rice balls are simply irresistible and easy to make at home!
Servings: 9 rice balls
Calories: 207kcal
Ingredients
For the Steamed Rice
- 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (3 rice cooker cups, 540 ml for 9 rice balls; or cook 2 rice cooker cups (1½ cups, 300 g) of rice for 5 rice balls)
- 2½ cups water (or 1⅔ cups (400 ml) for 2 rice cooker cups)
For the Rice Seasoning
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (or 2 Tbsp for 2 rice cooker cups)
- 1 Tbsp sugar (or 2 tsp for 2 rice cooker cups)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil (or 2 tsp for 2 rice cooker cups)
- ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ⅛ tsp for 2 rice cooker cups)
For the Glaze
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
Before You Start...
- Japanese short-grain white rice requires a soaking time of 20–30 minutes. The rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1.1 (or 1.2) for short-grain white rice. Please note that 2¼ cups (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 6⅔ cups (990 g) of cooked white rice. This is enough for 9 onigiri rice balls (typically 110 g each). Optional: To make 5–6 rice balls, cook 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice in 1⅔ cups water (400 ml) to yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked white rice.
- Cook the rice; see how with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe. To my rice cooker, I added 2½ cups water to 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice. Once the rice is cooked, gather all the ingredients.
To Season the Cooked Rice
- Combine 3 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl and microwave until the mixture is hot, about 30–60 seconds. Whisk it all together until the sugar dissolves.
- Add 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil and ¼ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix it all together.
- Transfer the hot cooked rice to a large bowl and add the seasoning mixture.
- With a rice paddle, use a slicing motion to gently combine the seasoning and cooked rice well. Try not to mash the rice. Note: Be sure to let the cooked rice cool a little bit until you can hold it without burning your hands. Rice must be hot or warm when making onigiri in order to hold its shape.
To Shape the Onigiri With a Mold
- Prepare a small bowl filled with water. Dip the onigiri mold and lid in the water to moisten so the rice doesn‘t stick to it. Remove the mold and drain the excess water.
- Fill the onigiri mold with the hot seasoned rice all the way to the top edge, making sure to fill the corners. Cover with the lid and push down firmly. You should feel a slight resistance; if not, add a bit more rice.
- Remove the lid. Flip over the mold onto a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. Then, push the “button” on the mold‘s bottom to release your onigiri. Tip: Always dip your fingers in water before touching onigiri to prevent the rice from sticking to them.
- Repeat with the remaining rice.
- Now, firmly hand press the rice balls to keep them from falling apart while grilling. Press them a bit more tightly than you would a regular onigiri. First, moisten both palms with a bit of water to prevent the rice from sticking. Then, pick up a rice ball in your non-dominant hand. Make a "mountain" shape with your dominant hand. Place it on top of the rice and gently press the triangle corner while you squeeze the fingers and heel of your bottom hand to gently press the sides flat.Now, rotate toward you the triangle corner you just pressed. A new corner will now point up. Repeat the above “press and rotate” steps to hand press the second triangle corner and then the third one, always keeping your non-dominant hand on the bottom and your dominant hand on top. Press and rotate a final 2–3 more times to finish.
- In the image below, the top row is hand pressed while the bottom row is not.
- Optional: You can press the onigiri with plastic wrap instead if you don‘t want to touch the rice with your hands: Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the work surface, wet your fingers, and place the onigiri in the middle.
- Gather the corners of the plastic wrap and twist it a few times to tighten it around the rice. Form the rice into a triangle shape in the same manner that I described above.
To Shape the Onigiri with Plastic Wrap (optional)
- Instead of using an onigiri mold, you can use plastic wrap to shape the rice ball. Place a piece of plastic film on the working surface, wet your fingers, and put the rice on top. Gather the corners of the plastic film and twist it a few times to tighten it around the rice.
- Form the rice into a triangle shape through the plastic in the same manner that I described above for hand-pressing the onigiri. Repeat with the remaining rice. Tip: To shape the onigiri with your hands the traditional way, see the step-by-step instructions and images in my Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) post.
To Pan-Grill
- Combine 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil for the glaze. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large frying pan.
- Gently place the rice balls on the parchment paper and grill on medium-low heat until all sides are crispy and lightly browned. Once browned on the bottom, turn them over (I use two silicone spatulas). Don’t flip them until browned; work on one side at a time and avoid handling them too much, which may cause the onigiri to break into pieces.
- Rotate the onigiri to grill all sides and make sure they become crispy.
To Glaze
- Once they are toasted and lightly brown, turn the heat to low (or turn off the heat). Brush the onigiri sides with the soy sauce glaze and turn over to grill on the sauce side. Then, brush on the other side.
- Be careful not to burn the onigiri after you brush it with the glaze. Optionally, you can brush them with my homemade unagi sauce and teriyaki sauce. Your Yaki Onigiri are now ready to enjoy.
To Store
- Rice gets hard when you refrigerate it. You can individually wrap the Yaki Onigiri in plastic wrap and cover them with a thick kitchen towel and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The towel will prevent the rice from getting too cold and keep the food cool but not cold. You can also store the Yaki Onigiri that are individually plastic-wrapped in the freezer for up to a month. When you‘re ready to eat, bring it back to room temperature and reheat in a microwave or frying pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 207 kcal · Carbohydrates: 42 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 2 g · Saturated Fat: 0.3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 420 mg · Potassium: 38 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Calcium: 3 mg · Iron: 2 mg