Onigiri
Like Never Before
What is Onigiri?
Onigiri (or Omusubi), commonly referred to as rice balls, are a staple snack in Japanese cuisine. Distinct from sushi, Onigiri are typically triangular or rectangular mounds of rice, which can either be plain or filled with various ingredients. The rice ball is wrapped entirely or partially with seaweed (nori), making it the perfect grab-and-go food. Convenience and different filling options make Onigiri a popular snack worldwide.
Here are three popular examples of onigiri rice balls:
A popular Hawaiian snack where the processed meat is sliced, seared, and sauced, then placed atop a plain rectangular rice ball and wrapped with a strip of seaweed.
One of the best-known ingredients, the triangular rice ball is filled or placed atop salted salmon flakes and wrapped with seaweed.
A staple for Japan, the triangular rice ball is filled with pickled or paste plum, which adds a tangy twist to the usual savory taste of Onigiri.
How to Make Onigiri Like Never Before
Forming Onigiri by hand is a demanding and repetitive task that can often result in density, size, and shape inconsistencies. This manual method limits the number of rice balls produced daily, impacting potential earnings. Incorporating an onigiri robot into the operation guarantees consistent shape, density, and size at a faster rate. Moreover, these robots offer versatility and can produce various rice ball shapes by switching out the molds. By optimizing onigiri production with these machines, businesses stand to enhance their daily revenue while giving chefs more freedom to focus on culinary creativity and innovation.
01
Shaping
Shape cooked rice into small rice balls.
Place white rice into the hopper of a Rice Ball Maker. The prepared sushi rice will be guided through a series of rollers inside the machine to be formed into perfect rice balls. Ensure that the rice ball is to your liking by changing the shape with different forming rollers, and adjusting the rice compression setting knob.
02
Ingredients
Gather the necessary ingredients for the rice balls.
Place wet fillings, such as salmon or umeboshi pickled plum, into a small divot created in the center of the rice balls. Sprinkle dry seasonings, such as furikake, yukari, on top of the rice ball.
03
Wrap
Wrap the rice ball in nori seaweed.
Cut a sheet of nori seaweed into an appropriate size to cover the entirety of the rice ball—the cut will usually be about half the size of the full sheet. Complete the rice ball by wrapping the seaweed around it.
