BENTO ONIGIRI
PG tested
Japanese for “lunchbox rice balls,” Bento Onigiri are a fun way to dispatch leftovers into a packable, handheld snack. More a method than a recipe, onigiri are made with leftover warm white rice and stuffed with anything — roasted vegetables, chopped bacon, or tuna or egg salad — making them infinitely customizable. Sprinkle the outsides with kid-friendly seasonings like ranch seasoning, cheese powder or even cinnamon-sugar.
Onigiri molds are easy to use and inexpensive (available at local Asian markets and on Amazon), and a quick spray of avocado oil or olive oil makes dispensing even simpler; just take care not to use cold leftover rice, which will be crumbly and resistant to molding (chilling after molding is just fine).
Skill level: intermediate. Kids can help with the molding and shaping but should skip the air fryer.
Warm white rice or leftover takeout rice
Olive oil or avocado oil spray (do not use floured baking spray)
Fillings: chopped roasted vegetables; minced bacon or sausage; pulled chicken, roast beef or pork bound with a little gravy barbecue sauce; soft scrambled eggs; dollops of peanut butter, jam or Nutella; diced fruit; egg, tuna or chicken salad; or just about anything you’d think to tuck into a sandwich or wrap.
Optional toppings: nori (seaweed) snacks, furikake seasoning, favorite spice and seasoning blends, cheese powder, freeze-dried fruit powder, chia and hemp seeds, peanut butter powder like PB2, cinnamon-sugar.
Spray the onigiri mold lightly with oil, then spoon in 1-2 tablespoons of warm rice.
Using your thumb, gently pack the rice into the corners of the mold and up the sides, leaving an indentation in the middle. This is not unlike pressing a crumb crust into a pie plate, just smaller.
Add a spoonful of your chosen filling(s) to the indentation in the rice, and then top it with another tablespoon or so of rice — enough to overfill the mold by ½ inch or so.
Press the lid down tightly — you want a snug little package — then gently lift it off again. Invert the rice ball into your palm (many molds have a plunger to make this even easier). Sprinkle with a topping, if desired, and enjoy immediately or pack and chill for tomorrow’s lunch.
Makes about 2-3 balls per cup of rice.
Air fryer alternative: Consider giving these a quick air fry for a crispy alternative. Whisk together 1 tablespoon each olive or sesame oil, soy sauce and maple syrup, and brush the outsides of your onigiri generously. Add them to your air fryer and fry for 4 minutes at 400 degrees, pausing halfway through to turn the onigiri and give them another brushing of the glaze. Any leftover glaze makes for a great dipping sauce. Good warm or chilled.