ONIGIRI ACTION - Japanese Culture and Food at MHCC

On Nov. 6 in the MHCC Student Union, the Japanese Culture Club hosted its first big event of the term: Onigiri Action.

Onigiri Action is an annual charity event hosted by the JCC, where members showed students how to make onigiri, a Japanese rice ball, and serve tea and took photos.

If participants wished, they took a photo of each with their onigiri and submitted the photo to the Onigiri Action program. Each photo of onigiri submitted  to the campaign website or on social media with #OnigiriAction helps provide five (yes, five) school meals to children in need worldwide. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

https://onigiri-action.com/en/

This year, around 70 students and staff attended this event, coming together for a good cause and free food. For lots of people it was their first time hearing about and trying onigiri. Not only was there onigiri and tea, but the event also had a fun photo booth, origami, and a pop-up library with books about Japanese culture and food.

If you missed the event, here is a recipe you can try to make your own onigiri at home.

INGREDIENTS

• Medium grain rice

• Salt

• Water

• Nori/seaweed sheets

• Furikake (rice seasoning)

• Filling

The filling used at the event included salted plums, pickled radishes, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes mixed with soy sauce). These are more traditional onigiri fillings, but feel free to try something else!

Optional: Tea to drink with your onigiri. 

OTHER THINGS YOU NEED:

• Rice cooker

• Plastic wrap

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RICE

1. Place rice into a bowl, cover rice with water and rinse 2-3 times using your hands until water is more translucent (doesn’t have to be clear). Drain.

2. Put about 1 cup of water for every one cup of rice in the rice cooker.

3. Add ½ teaspoon salt for every 1 cup of rice.

4. Let rice cook until finished.

(Reference: https://www.wandercooks.com/how-to-cook-sushi-rice/#h-in-a-rice-cooker )

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ONIGIRI

1. Prepare a sheet of plastic wrap.

2. Place a large handful of rice onto the plastic wrap. Spread the rice evenly and make a small indent in the center (for filling).

3. Add your filling of choice in the small indent you made in the rice.

4. Using the plastic wrap, gather the four corners of the plastic wrap and twist them to tighten the rice into a ball or triangle (you can make whatever shape you’d like – have fun with it!).

5. After you get your desired shape, take off the plastic wrap and add a strip of nori on the bottom.

6. Add a sprinkle of furikake on top of your onigiri and enjoy.

If you are interested in joining the Japanese Culture Club, the group meets every from 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. each Wednesday in Room AC 1267.