ONIGIRI

This is for my friend Deanna. ONIGIRI looks difficult to make but it is not! It makes a delicious and fulfilling meal.

All you need to make good ONIGIRI is to follow the following steps:

Soak 2 cups of rice in 2 1/4 cups of water, must be Japanese short grain rice or equivalent Australian Calrose or in the worst condition and you cannot get the above, use Jasmine Sunwhite (not as good but can be used). I normally soak my rice for at least two hours.
4 tbsp of toasted Sesame seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp of fine salt or to taste
Makes 10 - 12 Onigiri's depending on the size.

Filling:
1 can Tuna in Olive oil or equivalent (drained and mashed)
2 - 3 tbsp Kewpie Mayo or equivalent
pepper and salt to taste
1/3 of a yellow onion cut in bits (optional)

OR
1 piece of Salmon (Salted, fried and flaked)
Pepper to taste
2 - 3 tbsp Kewpie Mayo or equivalent

Method:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker using soaking water, do not add or reduce anymore water.
2. Get ready a bowl of filtered or cooled, boiled water for wetting hands.
3. Get a small plate of fine salt for coating hands before working on the Onigiri.
4. When rice is ready and dry, remove and place in a large bowl or pot with lots of space for mixing movement.
5. Pour into hot rice, the sesame seeds and add salt to taste.
6. Mix well.
   

If making for Bento, then you have to 'think small'!

1. Fill rice bowl with 1/3 rice.
2. Wet hands and 'touch' some salt and rub on both hands.
3. Take the hot/warm rice from the rice bowl and use 'iron hands' to roll rice into a ball.
4. Firm up a little and poke a hole in the middle with finger.
5. Try to make a 'well' and put into the 'well/hole' the tuna or salmon filling.

I like to be generous, but don't over-fill or else it may break apart. Your filling should not be wet. If rice is sticking to hands, wet with water again.

Take a small bit of rice to cover the 'well/hole' and start to form a triangle out of the ball. Click on the word (first line) "ONIGIRI" (above) to see You Tube demo on how to shape the triangle. Once you get the hang of it, you don't need to add that extra bit of rice and you can just 'close' up the 'well/hole' from the rice ball in your hands.

Get a pre-cut (you can buy these ready cut and packed) piece of Nori and place at the bottom of the Onigiri. This is for easy handling, for eating purpose.

It is best eaten fresh but you can make this the night before for the next morning. Cling wrap it and don't need to put into the fridge.

Try this, your kids will love it!

Fund Raiser coffee morning @ Church

We had a fund raiser on Sunday and I'm posting some of the food stuff sold that morning.
This creative drink is made out of Ice Cream Soda and assorted jelly (bought from the Taiwanese bubble tea suppliers). Sold like hot cakes and raised a pretty sum of $$$ too!
Yours truly's Futomaki. First to sell out as usual. My daughter and I rolled out 100 packets and today my back is still aching! This is really a hot favorite with the youths and children. They just keep coming back for more. I had two good looking young boys selling for me, so that might have been the reason for good sales too! Hehehe!

I was very proud of #1 because she took the initiative to help me with cooking the "Tamago Yaki". She cooked a whole tray of 30 eggs. *mum feels good*












Home made Spaghetti is another favorite. I tried this mild tasting beef or pork Bolognaise sauce. This stall served a generous portion of sauce and had the spaghetti swimming in it, which was very nice!

'Chee Cheong Fun' - This was tasty too but I thought they were quite "kedekut" (stingy) because for RM3.50 it was hardly a full meal or even half! One would have to spend more to fill the stomach. It had just two pieces of 'chee cheong fun' and one piece of 'foo chook', quite pricy right?












One stall had a variety of Nyonya Kueh. Honestly, I'm no fan of Nyonya Kueh. Since all are chipping in to help the fund raiser, I just buy to support the cause, then I distribute to all my 'kaki' sitting around, chatting and waiting for their kids to finish Sunday school. If I bring home, surely nobody will eat.

Popular item! Chicken porridge served with scallions, chicken meat and condiments. By the time I wanted to buy a bowl, all sold out!












Simple Mee Siam. Shared this with #1, not bad. Simple and tasty.

Delicious Fried Chicken. This lady who sold this fried chicken has an amazing marinade and frying skills! The chicken is aromatic, delicious and juicy. A hot favorite in all the fund raisers. She is always invited back to help out and she never declines. An amazing woman with a big heart!












These are the ingredients for the 'Nasi Lemak panas'. Curry chicken, sambal (pictured above), eggs, peanuts, fried 'ikan billis' (not in the picture) and freshly cooked rice in santan. This one also a best seller for coffee morning.


I was impressed with this stall run by two sisters and their mum. The sisters are 17 and 19 years old respectively. They made chocolate cookies and decorated the box with hand written notes in various colors. Firstly, they take responsibility for this cause by producing the 'goods' themselves by way of baking and cooking and also taking the trouble to 'decorate' them. Shows that they take ownership of what they are doing.











SANDWICHES! Egg and dried prawn sambal sandwiches. The sambal ones were first to go. One of my favorites, they add 'limau perut' leaves and the citrus flavor enhances the delicious sandwich.


This must have been the best decorated stall. Proud owner laid a chequered table cloth and placed her KEROPOK to be sold.












The ever famous "Pie Man's pie". A selection of beef and chicken always sold out by the end of the morning. Quality control at it's ultimate! Another hot favorite!

Bento #41

"One Ton Mee" (wantan mee) - #1's favorite! Topped with 'Sabah chilli sauce', fish cakes, crab sticks and kyuri.

Half an orange in the bottom Bento box and a piece of Chocolate chip roll from Deli France.

Diet, diet, diet!