Chopped smoked salmon, black fungus, furikake and toasted sesame seeds were mixed with Japanese rice to make onigiri. Eat one for a snack; more for a full meal. Smoked salmon and furikake onigiri makes a lovely party dish too!
Cook’s notes
What’s furikake? Furikake, or furikake seasoning, refers to a range of dried, normally mixed seasonings made especially for sprinkling on top of rice.
Furikake typically has dried fish, seaweed, salt, sugar and, often, sesame seeds. Chili flakes are sometimes added to the mix too.
You can get furikake in Japanese groceries and in the Asian section of some regular groceries. For those new to furikake, don’t get overwhelmed when you discover that there is more than one kind. Read the label carefully so you can get an idea about what’s in the mix.
Smoked salmon and furikake onigiri
Ingredients
- 500 grams Japanese rice (1.1 pounds)
- ¼ cup dried black fungus
- 1 to 1 ½ cups chopped smoked salmon
- ½ cup furikake
- 3 tablespoons finely sliced scallions
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Rinse the Japanese rice until the water runs clear. Cook in the rice cooker.
- While the rice cooks, soak the black fungus in hot water until softened and doubled in volume. Drain and chop.
- Take the cooked rice and spread on a tray. Use a fork to fluff it up. Cool completely.
- Mix all the ingredients together except for the lettuce.
- With wet hands (to prevent the rice from sticking on your skin) or using an onigiri molder, shape the rice mixture into balls or flattened triangles (or whatever shape you prefer, really).
- Serve your smoked salmon and furikake onigiri.
Iced jasmine tea