Directions:
ONIGIRI:
- Place rice in rice cooker pot, fill with water and swirl gently with hand. Discard water. Repeat rinsing and discarding water once more. (you may also keep the water for other purposes such as making soup or watering plants.)
- Add measured water and vinegar to rice and cook using rice cooker’s regular white rice setting. Once rice cooker has finished cooking, leave lid closed for 10 minutes to allow more steam to be absorbed into rice, then fluff the rice with a rice paddle.
- Have your fillings nearby, along with a bowl of water for moistening your hands.
- Wet your hands and with the rice paddle, place about ¼-⅓ cup of cooked rice into your left palm. The rice is hot, so you must move quickly. Place about 1-2 Tbsp of your filling on the rice in your hand and follow with ¼-⅓ cup more cooked rice.
- Start forming the rice into a ball or triangular shape. Press the rice gently. Do not treat it like a snowball. The goal is to have the rice pressed together firmly enough so that the onigiri will not fall apart when bitten into, but gently enough so that the individual grains of rice are not crushed.
- Sprinkle with salt and set on a plate to cool down while you continue making all the onigiri.
- Once cool, you can wrap with nori and then wrap in plastic wrap to pack for lunch, or you can pack the onigiri and nori separately and finish assembling the onigiri right before eating for crispy nori.
ONIGIRI FILLING: VEGAN "TUNA" "MAYO":
- Place the almonds and sunflower seeds in a bowl and soak them for 4 hours or overnight.
- Strain the almonds and sunflower seeds in a fine mesh sieve and blend in food processor until a thick paste is formed. Don’t over do it, you want little chewy bits.
- Transfer nut/seed mixture to a bowl and combine with all remaining ingredients.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving.
