Tweaked from food52.com
This Japanese snack is made with white
sushi rice (brown is probably not a safe experiment - but if you try it, do let us know!) so it makes for a tasty little once-and-awhile snack.
White rice is made white by having its husk, bran and germ removed through milling and processing, which effectively removes nutrients from the grain. With this processing the grain is turned into a more ‘simple’ carbohydrate - meaning it digests faster and therefore can spike blood sugar more.
That doesn’t make for an absolute rule to totally avoid or eat one food versus another however. There are many variables that come into play, which will have an effect on the
GI score - including, what you eat it with. Protein is an inherently low GI food that when eaten alongside a higher GI food, will slow down the whole process.
Tip: make a big batch of these and wrap them up individually to pack in your lunch during the week!
Ingredients
About 4 cups cooked sticky/sushi rice
White and black sesame seeds, toasted
Onigiri fillings of your choice - we used: green onion and teriyaki salmon
Tamari
Directions
1. Put the rice on to cook while you prep your onigiri filling and other ingredients. You’ll want your fillings laid out nicely for easy assembly – so cut your nori into strips (and/or shapes!), toast the sesame seeds, chop green onion and salmon – or whatever you decide to use.
2. When your rice is done, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes so that it’s still warm but not too hot to handle with bare hands. Either have a bowl of cool water on hand, or work close to the tap so that you can wet your hands as you shape the rice balls – things get sticky so the water will help you keep from making a mess.
3. Wet your hands and scoop a small handful of rice into your palm. Press the rice into a thick, flat, oblong shape. From there scoop a little of your filling (green onion and salmon in this case) on top in the centre. Start to fold the rice around the filling and use both hands to shape it – spheres or little triangles or whatever shape works for you. You might need to add a little more rice here and there – touching up any bits of the ball with thinner “walls”.
4. Finish with your nori and sesame seeds for garnish and serve with some tamari and ginger.
