Halloween Onigiri Rice Balls
Japanese rice balls, but make them Halloween! Owls, pumpkins and candy corn!
Ingredients
Owl Onigiri (makes 1 owl)
- cooked short-grain rice as needed (depends on how big you make the onigiri)
- a few pinches of salt
- 1 sheet of dried nori seaweed
- 1 slice processed cheese
Pumpkin Onigiri (makes 2 pumpkins)
- Cooked short-grain rice as needed
- 1-2 tbsp ketchup
- 1/8-1/4 cup grated carrot optional
- 2 sliced broccoli stalks 2 cm long each
Candy Corn Onigiri
- Cooked short-grain rice as needed
- Ketchup rice from the Pumpkin Onigiri, as needed
- Turmeric rice recipe here, as needed
Instructions
Make the owl onigiri:
- While the rice is still quite warm (this is very important), add some salt to the rice, and shape the rice into the owl shape. Wrapping the rice in plastic wrap while doing this makes it much easier.
- Wrap the warm rice in the nori, allowing the heat of the rice to help the nori stick to the rice. Cut off any excess nori, while making sure that all the rice has been covered. Cut out the owl’s eyes, beak, wings and tummy area from the sliced cheese, and press it directly onto the nori. If you are having difficulty with attaching them, spreading a very thin layer of mayonnaise on the back on the cheese may help.
- Cut the owl’s pupils, tummy feathers, and beak details out from the remaining nori, and stick onto the cheese.
Make the pumpkin onigiri:
- Mix the ketchup and carrot, if desired, into the cooked rice.
- Shape the rice into two balls, and stick one broccoli stalk into the top of each pumpkin.
Make the candy corn onigiri:
- For these onigiri, you will be making tri-coloured triangle-shaped rice balls. For the base colour, use the turmeric rice, then stack the ketchup rice, then the white rice on top. Squeeze and shape the onigiri into the tall, triangular shape of a candy corn.