How to Make a Kombu Onigiri

Onigiri is a type of Japanese riceball. It is an on-the-go snack and can be found in almost every convenience store in Japan. These riceballs come in a variety of fillings, and you can definitely customise the filling ingredients to anything you like! Today we are going to make the fillings using Kombu, a type of Japanese seaweed with high nutritional values. It will help to enhance the flavour of your onigiri.

Read more about Kombu here
A Guide to All You Need To Know about Kombu You might have heard of Kombu, a type of Japanese seaweed otherwise known as the "King of Seaweed". For many Japanese dishes, Kombu is a key ingredient to gi...

Let’s get started with creating your own onigiri. We hope you enjoy our recipe as much as we do!

Recipe

Easy Onigiri Recipe

Let's make an onigiri with kombu fillings. This can be a delicious snack or a full meal! It is filling and highly nutritious.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 onigiri

Equipment

  • Rice cooker
  • Onigiri mold
  • Mixing bowls

Ingredients
  

Main ingredients

Ingredients for fillings

Instructions
 

Make rice

  • Use a rice cooker. When the rice is ready, transfer the rice to a large bowl and add in 1 tbsp of salt and mix well.

Make Kombu fillings

  • Soak the Kombu in water for 15 minutes until it is soft. Cut the Kombu into thin, small slices and put back into water.
  • Add some rice vinegar to the water and let it soak for another 15-30 minutes, depending on how hard the Kombu is. Rice vinegar will help it become more tenderised.
  • Place this mixture into a sauce pan on low heat. Add in the sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and bring it to a simmer. Cook for another 20 minutes. If the mixture starts drying out, add in a little water.
  • When the kombu is done, it should be soft, well-caramelised with no liquid left in the pan. Let it cool on the side.

Creating onigiri

  • Use a damp cloth to wipe your onigiri mold and its top piece.
  • Fill the rice up until halfway and make sure to press it down to all corners of the mold.
  • Make a deep indentation at the centre of the rice and add in the filling. Be careful not to overfill.
  • Fill in the rest of the mold with rice. Use the top piece to gently press and mold the shape.
  • Remove the onigiri out of the mold and take a nori sheet to wrap around it. Continue to make more onigiri until you have no more rice.
Keyword kombu onigiri

Recommended Products

Here are some of our recommendations for high-quality and flavourful kombu products! Enjoy!

Buy On Amazon USA

hidaka kombu

Hidaka Kombu 2.8oz (80g)

rishiri kombu

Rishiri Kombu 3.5oz (100g)

rausu kombu

Rausu Kombu 3.5oz (100g)

Buy On Kawashimaya Website

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Author of this post

I love travelling and testing out different recipes from all parts of the world! I really enjoy documenting and sharing them here with you.