Recipe: Japanese Rice Balls (Onigiri)

Japanese mommies are experts at making up lunch boxes 'obento'. Even down to the material bag that the boxes are placed in. My son is starting pre school so I have a lot to learn. I will combine western recipes with Japanese.

'Onigiri' or Rice Balls are usually in every child's lunch box:

Make up a batch of rice.

You can use any filling; tuna, mayonnaise; salmon; chicken; beans. anything goes.

Take a piece if cling film. Lay it flat. Put a small portion of rice on top of the film. In the center of the rice put a big coin sized piece of filling the mixture. Cover with a little more rice and wrap around the cling film into a ball shape.

With cupped hands mold the rice ball into a triangular shape. (Put the rice ball on the palm of your cupped hand. Put your other hand on top so the ball is in between your two hands, as you are molding move the rice around so you get a triangular shape).

Finally, if you like, wrap the rice ball in a piece of dried seaweed. Or just leave it wrapped in the cling film and put directly into lunch box.