Yaki onigiri ochazuke
- medium
- 4
- 40 minutes plus overnight infusing
Onigiri are Japanese rice balls, often shaped into a triangle, which then become yaki-onigiri once grilled. In this recipe, chef Masaki Sugisaki brushes the crispy grilled onigiri with a special miso before serving them in ochazuke; a green tea-infused dashi. It’s a stunning, beautiful dish which allows the texture and flavour of the shikiyutaka rice to really shine.
You can omit the alexander buds in the miso if you like, and for advice on how to expertly prepare and cook the rice for this dish, take a look at Masaki's in-depth guide here.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 240g of Japanese short grain rice, cooked (Masaki uses the Shikiyutaka variety)
- mitsuba leaves, to garnish
- 1 nori sheet, julienned, to garnish
Alexander buds miso
- 100g alexander buds, trimmed and cut into 3-5cm lengths
- 15g of white sesame seeds
- 10g of toasted sesame oil
- 60g of red miso, ideally rokko miso
- 20g of sake
- 20g of mirin
- 5g of caster sugar
Green tea dashi
- 1l filtered water, or soft mineral water
- 30g of dried kombu
- 2g of Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
- 10g of sake
- 5g of mirin
- 2g of green tea leaves
Method
The day before, combine the water and kombu in a non-reactive container, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Do not cut the dried kombu, as this can create a slimy texture
- 1l filtered water, or soft mineral water
- 30g of dried kombu
To make the miso, bring a pan of water to the boil. Blanch the alexander buds for 30 seconds, then immediately transfer to ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and squeeze firmly to remove excess moisture
- 100g alexander buds, trimmed and cut into 3-5cm lengths
Finely chop the buds into 5mm pieces, then squeeze again to get every last drop of water out
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, then remove and roughly chop
- 15g of white sesame seeds
Add the sesame oil to the same pan, followed by the alexander buds and sesame seeds. Cook gently until aromatic, stirring frequently
- 10g of toasted sesame oil
Add the miso, sake, mirin and sugar. Mix well to combine. Continue to cook over a low-medium heat until the alcohol has cooked off and the mixture reaches a thick, cohesive paste. Adjust the consistency as needed, then set aside. You only need 40g of the miso for this recipe, but the rest will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
The next day, strain 700g of the kombu-infused water into a pan and add the soy, sake and mirin. Bring to the boil, then taste and add more salt if you think it needs it. Chill the liquid as quickly as possible by putting the pan in a bowl of ice. Set aside until ready to serve
- 2g of Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
- 10g of sake
- 5g of mirin
To make the onigiri, light a charcoal grill or put a griddle pan over a medium heat. Divide the rice into 4 equal 60g portions. Gently shape each portion into your preferred onigiri shape – avoid pressing the rice too firmly as this will create a dense texture
Reheat the dashi to around 80°C, then remove from the heat and add the green tea leaves. Leave to infuse for 2 minutes, then strain the liquid into a teapot
- 2g of green tea leaves
Put the onigiri on your charcoal grill or griddle pan and cook until both sides are golden and crisp. Spread the alexander buds miso over each side and return briefly to the grill/pan and cook until the miso caramelises and becomes lightly charred
Transfer the onigiri to serving bowls and garnish with the mitsuba leaves. Gently pour the green tea dashi around each onigiri, and serve with julienned nori on the side
- mitsuba leaves, to garnish
- 1 nori sheet, julienned, to garnish
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