Shiitake Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Riceball)

For Shiitake and Onigiri Lovers

For all the Shiitake and onigiri fans out there, here’s a rich and flavorful grilled onigiri (Japanese rice ball) recipe featuring Shiitake mushrooms.

Highlights of This Recipe

This recipe has three amazing points as follows:

Cook the rice using Shiitake soaking water: This adds a deep umami flavor to the rice.
Incorporate sautéed Shiitake stems: Sauté and simmer the Shiitake stems in sake and soy sauce, then mix them into the rice for extra texture and taste.
Grill with Shiitake pieces attached: Attach pieces of Shiitake to the rice balls with potato starch and bake them in a toaster oven for a perfect finish.

Tips for the Perfect Onigiri

The savory aroma is irresistible! Letting the rice balls dry slightly before baking gives a crispy outside and a chewy inside.

Recipe provided by: Hattori Nutrition College

Japanese

Traditional

Rice

Ingredients (4 servings)

8 pieces Dried Shiitake
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Tbsp Sake
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 cups Rice
2 cups Water -A
2 Tbsp Shiitake soaking water-A
4g Bonito flakes -B
4 pieces Shiso (Leaves) -B
2 Tbsp Soy sauce-B
1 Tbsp Toasted white sesame seeds-B
A pinch of potato or corn starch

Steps

Rinse the dried Shiitake with running water and rehydrate with water.

Divide the Shiitake into caps and stems, and finely chop the stems. Briefly stir fry the stems with sesame oil in a frying pan and season with sake and soy sauce.

Wash the rice and cook with A.

Mix the Shiitake stems and B ingredients with the cooked rice.

Lightly coat the insides of the Shiitake caps with potato or corn starch. Separate the rice from

into 8 equal parts and shape them into firm rice balls before securing the Shiitake caps onto them.

Spread baking paper on the tray of an oven toaster and arrange the rice balls so that the Shiitake are on the top, then bake gradually at a low temperature.

To make it even more fragrant, turn the rice balls over and bake at a low temperature until the rice is golden brown.