Aonori Onigiri (Green Seaweed Rice Balls)
青のりおにぎり · Aonori Onigiri
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
These onigiri get their flavor from the inside out: the rice is soaked and cooked in chilled dashi with a little soy sauce and mirin, then tossed with aonori, the fine green seaweed flakes you may know as the topping on okonomiyaki and yakisoba. The seasoning is gentle and the seaweed adds a light, savory aroma that children take to right away. Because the rice is seasoned as it cooks, the rice balls are tasty without any filling, and the small size makes them easy for little hands to hold.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 60 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 0.5 gaonori (green seaweed flakes)Fine, fragrant flakes of dried green seaweed sprinkled over dishes like okonomiyaki and yakisoba. Substitute: Crumbled nori sheets, or omit.
Seasonings
- 60 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 3.6 gsoy sauce
- 3.6 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- aonori (green seaweed flakes) (あおのり)
- Fine, fragrant flakes of dried green seaweed sprinkled over dishes like okonomiyaki and yakisoba. Substitute: Crumbled nori sheets, or omit.
Directions
- 1
Make the dashi stock and chill it.
- 2
Add the chilled dashi from step 1 to the rice and let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
- 3
Add the soy sauce and mirin, stir, and cook the rice.
- 4
Once the rice is cooked, mix in the aonori in two additions, then shape into onigiri.
Rice cooks up tastier when the dashi is cold, so prepare it as early as you can and keep it chilled. The salt in the seasonings gets in the way of the rice absorbing water, so always soak the rice first and stir in the seasonings just before cooking.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 220.5 kcal | 441 kcal | 220.5 kcal |
| Protein | 4.2 g | 8.4 g | 4.2 g |
| Fat | 0.6 g | 1.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48.6 g | 97.2 g | 48.6 g |
| Fiber | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 9 mg | 18 mg | 9 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 117 mg | 234 mg | 117 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 220.5 kcal | 4.2 g | 0.6 g | 48.6 g | 0.5 g | 0.5 g | 9 mg | 0.8 mg | 117 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 441 kcal | 8.4 g | 1.2 g | 97.2 g | 0.9 g | 0.9 g | 18 mg | 1.5 mg | 234 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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