Sesame and Jako Onigiri (Rice Balls)
ごまじゃこおにぎり · Goma Jako Onigiri
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Onigiri are Japan's everyday hand-held rice balls, and this version folds in chirimen jako (tiny dried baby sardines) that have been sizzled in sesame oil with white sesame seeds and a little soy sauce. The jako turn lightly crisp and nutty, and their gentle saltiness seasons the rice so it needs nothing else. It is a classic preschool favorite because the flavor is mild yet savory, and the small, soft fish blend right into the rice so even little ones eat them without a second thought. These work just as well for lunch as for an afternoon snack.
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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
- 45 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.
- 3.3 gchirimen jako (dried baby sardines)Tiny boiled and dried baby sardines, salty and rich in calcium, sprinkled over rice or mixed into vegetables. Substitute: No close substitute - look for it at a Japanese or Asian grocery, or leave it out and add a little flaked canned sardine.
Seasonings
- 0.8 gsesame oil
- 1.2 gsoy sauce
- 0.9 gwhite sesame seeds
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.
- chirimen jako (dried baby sardines) (じゃこ)
- Tiny boiled and dried baby sardines, salty and rich in calcium, sprinkled over rice or mixed into vegetables. Substitute: No close substitute - look for it at a Japanese or Asian grocery, or leave it out and add a little flaked canned sardine.
Directions
- 1
Cook the rice as you normally would.
- 2
Fry the chirimen jako in the sesame oil, then add the white sesame seeds and soy sauce.
- 3
Add the jako mixture from step 2 to the freshly cooked rice and mix well.
- 4
Shape into onigiri (rice balls).
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 172.5 kcal | 345 kcal | 172.5 kcal |
| Protein | 4.4 g | 8.7 g | 4.4 g |
| Fat | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38.4 g | 76.8 g | 38.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 30 mg | 60 mg | 30 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 172.5 kcal | 4.4 g | 1.8 g | 38.4 g | 0.5 g | 30 mg | 0.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 345 kcal | 8.7 g | 3.6 g | 76.8 g | 0.9 g | 60 mg | 0.9 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.
