Onigiri

Ingredients

• 400g Japanese short-grain rice
• 500ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt, for shaping
• 4 sheets nori, cut into strips
• 150g cooked salmon, flaked, or tinned tuna
• 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons umeboshi paste (optional)
• Toasted sesame seeds

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook it and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Mix the flaked salmon or tuna with the mayonnaise.
• Put a small bowl of water and a saucer of salt next to your work surface.

Steps

1. Let the rice cool until you can handle it but it is still warm, which is when it shapes best.
2. Wet your hands with water and rub a pinch of salt over your palms.
3. Take a handful of rice, about 100g, and flatten it slightly in your palm.
4. Press a hollow in the centre and add a teaspoon of filling.
5. Fold the rice over the filling and cup your hands to enclose it.
6. Shape into a triangle by pressing with a flat palm and turning, three or four times.
7. Do not compress it hard; it should hold together but stay light.
8. Wrap a strip of nori around the base of each one just before eating, so it stays crisp.
9. Scatter with sesame seeds.