Ume Miso and Shiso Onigiri

• servings: 5 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

5 pieces ume from ume miso

5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)

3 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice (about 19 oz, 540 g; adjust the amount as you like; see how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe) 19 540

½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds

Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for shaping the onigiri)

Directions

Discard the seeds from 5 pieces ume from ume miso and mince the flesh.

Roll up 5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut them into julienned strips. Add the minced ume and shiso to 3 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice.

Add ½ tsp toasted white sesame seeds and combine everything together.

To Make the Onigiri

First, prepare a small bowl with water. Wet both of your hands with water. This helps preventing the rice from sticking to your hands.

Dip 2–3 fingertips in Diamond Crystal kosher salt and spread it all around your palms.

Scoop out a handful of rice into one hand.

Gently press the rice to form into a triangle shape with your hands. I use three fingers (thumb, index finger, middle finger) to make a triangle corner. Your hands should be just firm enough so the onigiri doesn’t fall apart. You don’t want to squeeze the rice too tight.

If you have never tried making onigiri, please see my detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to make Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls). Please read the instructions first before the prep.

To Store

If you want to keep the leftover onigiri, you can wrap the finished onigiri (in plastic wrap) with a thick kitchen towel to seal in the moisture when stored in the refrigerator. Rice gets hard and dry in the refrigerator. Hopefully, with this easy trick, your onigiri will be cool enough to stay safe.

Nutrition

• Calories: 170 kcal
• Total Fat: 1 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
• Sodium: 200 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 39 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 3 g