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Rice Balls With Salmon Filling (Onigiri)

By Amy Kaneko

4.2

(7)

Image may contain Plant Food Sushi Sesame and Seasoning
Photo by Aubrie Pick

Before heading into work in Tokyo, I often stopped at a little stand where an elderly woman sold nothing but rice balls. Onigiri is a quintessential Japanese food: made by moms for breakfast, lunch boxes, and picnics. It is the ideal handheld food (the nori wrapper keeps the sticky rice from getting all over your hand).

Tip

Experiment with fillings. Try tempura shrimp, chicken salad, codfish roe, Japanese pickles, tunafish with mayo, or cooked and crumbled tsukune.

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