Yaki Onigiri

5 from 1 vote

Grilled rice balls with a crispy outer shell brushed with fermented soybean paste & butter.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Total Time1 10

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: rice balls

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Dana

Soak Japanese short grain rice for 30 minutes to one hour. Then, cook rice according to package directions in rice cooker or pot.
2 cups water
To make the sauce, mix 1 tablespoon tojang or miso paste, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 tablespoon water. Set sauce aside.
2 cups short grain sushi rice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon water
Once rice is done, make sure to let it cool for 10-15 minutes until its not hot to touch. Wet your hands with water and a little bit of salt. Add rice and filling of choice. Then add more rice on top of filling. Form rice ball in a triangle or shape of choice. For the rice ball tightly so it doesn't fall apart. Tip: Use plastic wrap to form in shapes if it's hard to form by hand. You can also put the shaped onigiri in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to hold the shape after forming.
Heat pan on medium heat. When pan is hot, add avocado oil. Turn heat to low medium. Fry the rice ball for 1-2 minutes on each side until its crispy. Once the sides are crispy, brush some sauce on top.
Eat yaki onigiri when warm and crispy. If you want to save for later, leave in room temperature. If you want to save it overnight, I recommend to cover tightly and heat it up with a wet towel the next day. Keep in mind it will be less crispy when the rice is eaten as leftovers