No2 [Eating] How to make perfect nigiri

How to make perfect nigiri

Creating rice balls for nigiri-zushi and onigiri, can be a bit of a bore. And unless you’re a trained sushi chef it often ends with a plate of misshapen sticky lumps unlikely to appear on the conveyor belt of any half-decent kaiten-zushi. But you can make things easy for yourself by getting a nigiri-zushi and o-nigiri making set. These are simple plastic moulds which you spoon cooked Japanese rice into, press together and pull apart to leave perfectly shaped nigiri. It is important to splash the mould with a little water first, or the rice will stick, but otherwise you can’t go wrong. Any number of Japanese cookery books will have suggestions for toppings or fillings. Nigiri-zushi is usually completed with raw tuna, shrimp or grilled egg. Onigiri can be filled with pickled plum, salmon, or katsuobushi. Also available are moulds for oshi-zushi, which are square shaped, with the toppings placed on the rice before pressing the mould together. To make things even simpler, you can buy various ready-made o-nigiri mixtures that can be stirred into the rice. Wrap the nigiri in sheets of nori and you have a healthy, easy alternative to sandwiches to put in your lunch box.

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