Onigiri (Japanese Rice Ball)

My husband and I were watching Hana Yori Dongo the other day. In one of the episode, the girl were having Origini ( Japanese Rice Ball) and it looked delicious in the movie, so he requested me to make for him. So after reading some Japanese cookbook and do some googling, I finally get the necessary ingredients and make it for him. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients
1.5 cups of Japanese rice (cooked) can make approximately 6 medium size onigiri

For the fillings
Anything that you like but I choose seafood
3 medium size shrimps (peeled, deveined and chopped)
6 small scallops (chopped)
Approximately 2 squids (chopped)
Water
Pinch of pepper

Other Ingredients
Furikake
Nori (cut into strips) optional
Salt
Water


Methods (without Onigiri mold)

1. Cook all the seafood in the water until it's cooked. Drained the water and and sprinkle some pepper on the seafood and set aside

2. Scoop about 1/2 cup size of rice (I use ladle to measure my rice so that I can get it as equal as possible) 

3. If you want to add Furikake into your rice, you can mix bit by bit in a bowl before the next step or you can skip this step.

4. Spread a plastic wrap on a flat surface. Make sure the plastic wrap is wet and sprinkle some salt on it. This is to help the rice not to stick to the plastic wrap.
5. Spread the rice in the middle of the wrap. Put the chopped cooked seafood in the middle of the rice.

 6. Twist and squeeze and push out all the excess air and make it into a ball like in the picture. 

6. Make sure the rice is well squeeze together so that it will form the shape that you want. 

7. Slowly form into the shape that you want with a wet hand. This is to avoid the rice sticky to your hand.

8.Place the nori strips at the bottom of your onigiri (optional)

9. Ready to serve