Onigiri (Rice Balls)

Recipe: I used the plastic wrap folding method for beginners from JustHungry.com
Rating: Good for a quick snack or as something quick to make to make a meal more filling.
Status: Made once.

Onigiri is made with plain rice, shaped when the rice is still hot.  If sushi rice is used, then the end result is called sushi, not onigiri.  The filling for onigiri should be very salty in order to give the rice flavor, but only a small amount of filling should be used (1 tsp to 1/2 Tbsp, though it depends on the size of the onigiri), since the main flavor of the onigiri is the rice.  Japanese rice must be used, because it has the right amount of stickiness.

I made some onigiri for a quick snack for William and I.  Onigiri must be made with hot rice, so immediately after the rice finished cooking, I shaped the onigiri using the method mentioned on JustHungry.com.  I was surprised at how hot the rice was, though I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised since it had just finished cooking.  I used a dish towel to hold the plastic wrapped rice ball in order to make shaping the rice easy.

1.5 rice cooker cups makes enough for 4 onigiri;  you will need about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of filling.

I used a non-traditional filling, made of some salty ingredients that I had around: chopped zha cai (pickled mustard greens), Chinese pork floss, and some fried shallots.  The filling was already salty enough, so I didn't need to add any additional salt to it, though I put some salt on the plastic wrap that I used to wrap the rice so salt would get on the outside of the onigiri (suggested by JustHungry).  I coated the onigiri in some freshly roasted sesame seeds and wrapped it with nori.