Pan-Fried Yaki Onigiri
Japanese grilled rice balls that won't fall apart — shaped, air-dried to form a crust, brushed with a miso-soy-mirin sauce and pan-fried in butter until browned.
🍽️ Makes 6
Ingredients
| 700 g | cooked Japanese short-grain rice or Calrose | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | toasted white sesame seeds |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), toasted |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | butter or neutral oil |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) — for sauce |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | mirin or cola — for sauce |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | toasted sesame oil — for sauce |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | yellow miso paste (awase) — for sauce |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | garlic paste or grated garlic — for sauce |
Instructions
- Place 700 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice (slightly cooled) in a large bowl and mix in 1 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds. Divide it into portions of approximately 120 g per rice ball (for 700 g of rice, I make about 5–6) and press them into triangle shapes. I recommend using an onigiri mold so that you can pack it more tightly without breaking it.
- Place the shaped rice balls on a plate and allow to air dry for approx 5 minutes on each side to form a thin, dry crust.
- While you wait, mix the sauce ingredients (2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp yellow miso paste (awase), 1 tsp garlic paste) in a small bowl until smooth.
- After 10 minutes of drying, brush the sauce over one side of each rice ball.
- Pour 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) into a small bowl and use a brush to spread a thin layer over the edges of the rice balls.
- Heat a frying pan on medium and add 1 tbsp butter. Once it has melted, place the onigiri in the pan with the sauce side facing down. Brush the other side with the sauce and fry on each side for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until nicely browned.
- Serve and enjoy!