Kombu Onigiri with Leftover Kelp
No-waste Japanese rice balls filled with homemade kombu tsukudani made from leftover rehydrated kelp, wrapped in nori.
Ingredients
| 50 g | rehydrated kombu (kelp) | |
| 500 ml | water | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | sake |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | rice vinegar |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | light brown sugar |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | mirin |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) |
| ½ tbsp | 7.5 ml | toasted white sesame seeds |
| 600 g | cooked Japanese short-grain rice | |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | salt |
| 6 piece | roasted seaweed for sushi (nori), cut to rice ball size |
Instructions
Time: 50 mins. Servings: 6 rice balls.
- Before starting, make sure your kombu is already rehydrated. It needs to soak for at least 1 hour before making tsukudani, and the leftover liquid can be used as kombu dashi.
- You can cook the rice while the tsukudani is simmering. Use Japanese short grain white rice or sushi rice. The rice needs to be sticky so that it holds its shape. Use a rice cooker or cook Japanese rice on the stove.
Making Kombu Tsukudani: 3. Cut 50 g rehydrated kombu into thin strips (about 3 mm or 1/10 inch thick). 4. Add the sliced kombu to a pan with 500 ml water, 2 tbsp sake and 1 tsp rice vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil over a medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer until the water has reduced to a little less than half. This should take approximately 20 minutes. 5. Add 1 tbsp light brown sugar, 1 tbsp mirin and 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). Mix well and increase the heat back to medium. 6. Continue to boil until the liquid is completely reduced, mixing often to prevent burning. Once thick, sticky and dark, sprinkle in ½ tbsp toasted white sesame seeds and mix well.
Shaping Onigiri: 7. Sprinkle salt over your rice ball mold (or slightly dampened hands) and shape your rice. Place 1–2 tsp of the kombu tsukudani in the center and encase. 8. Wrap the onigiri with a sheet of nori and enjoy! You can also place the kombu tsukudani on top of the rice ball for decoration.