Miso Yaki Onigiri is a rice ball covered with miso and grilled. Considering how delicious they are, the recipe is very simple and easy to make. Because of that, many households make it as a snack whenever kids are hungry. This is also perfect for road trip, picnic, home party, easy lunch and more!
There are tons of different types of rice ball recipes in Japan. The other day I introduced one of my favorite rice ball recipes, Yaki Onigiri, and today I am going to introduce another favorite rice ball recipe, Miso Yaki Onigiri!
I used to have Miso Yaki Onigiri at my grandparents house. I know there are so many Japanese have memories about Miso Yaki Onigiri. So it would be amazing if you try this rice ball to feel Japanese!
What is Miso Yaki Onigiri?
As I mentioned, Miso Yaki Onigiri (grilled miso rice ball) is a rice ball with brushed with miso and grilled. Miso is one of the most important ingredients in Japanese cooking and many people from outside of Japan might recognize it because of Miso Soup when you go to Asian restaurants. It is not an exaggeration to say that a majority of Japanese people have miso soup almost every single day. Because of how much we love miso, Miso Yaki Onigiri became one of the best snacks in Japan.
> All you need to know about Miso (variety, effect, recipes)
Difference between Yaki Onigiri and Miso Yaki Onigiri
Of course, the big difference is whether miso is included or not. Miso has a very Umami flavor that brings food to the next level.
Let’s talk about Umami a little bit! Umami is commonly used word in Japanese but in English it literally translates to ‘taste’ or ‘flavor’ which isn’t entirely accurate. According to Ajinomoto, Umami is an essence of deliciousness which is monosodium glutamate such as sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Umami taste spreads across the tongue, lasts longer than other basic tastes, and provides a mouthwatering sensation. So miso has that magical and amazing Umami included.
Which type of Miso should I use?
There are 4 different types of miso and it is said that almost 80% of miso is rice based. Rice miso is made from soybeans, salt, and koji while other types use different ingredients. Which type of miso you should use totally depends on what you cook or how you want to flavor your dishes. I have one type of miso that works great in any foods in my fridge right now.
This miso in the image above is Rice Miso (Kome Miso 米味噌) that has dashi included, which means when you make miso soup you don’t need to make dashi by yourself. Some people prefer to use miso without dashi, but I personally love to use miso including dashi since it is so easy and the taste is stable.
So in the conclusion, if you prefer to save your time but you still want to get umami flavor, I recommend you use dashi miso or this miso (I have been using this for a long time).
Q : Do I have to Use Parchment Paper?
The short answer is you don’t need as long as you use non-stick frying pan. If you use the other type of pans, then I recommend you to use parchment paper. The reason why you need to use parchment paper is because Miso gets burnt so quickly and you want to avoid Miso Yaki Onigiri to stick to your pan.
You have to watch carefully when you make them but using parchment paper reduce so much stress! Also, it is so easy to clean up!
Q : I burned my onigiri. What should I do?
I burned mine too! Miso is super easy to burn so I have 2 pieces of advice you can try:
- Use a toaster oven
– Use aluminum foil and put the rice balls on top. Then put miso on one side of each rice ball and cook for 5 minutes. This is the easiest way to make Miso Yaki Onigiri. - Reduce the heat to low after cooking both sides (before adding miso).
– For Miso Yaki Onigiri, being patient is the key. Try slowly cooking to prevent burning!
Miso Yaki Onigiri sounds hard to make but it actually isn’t! Once you know the tips, then you will fall in love this dish!
Similar Recipes to Miso Yaki Onigiri on Oishi Book
- Salmon Mayo Don（鮭マヨご飯）
- Wakame Nigiri (Dred Seaweed Rice Balls)
- Yaki Onigiri ( 焼きおにぎり – Grilled Rice Ball )
CHECK Stay in touch with me on Instagram and Pinterest to get the latest recipes! DM or comment me on Instagram if you have any questions or feedback!
Miso Yaki Onigiri
Ingredients
- 150 g uncooked Japanese rice This is an article about rice.
- 200 ml water
- 2 Tablespoon miso I use this miso (you can probably buy it in Asian grocery stores for under $10). If you use dashi miso, you don't need to add dashi powder in this ingredient list.
- 2 Tablespoon mirin HERE to buy
- 1/2 teaspoon dashi powder HERE to buy
Instructions
Preparation (I use rice cooker)
- Add uncooked rice to your rice cooker. Wash the rice 1-2 times with running water.
- Use a mesh strainer to remove the water and move the washed rice to your rice cooker.
- Add water and let's cook the rice!
Let's cook!
- After rice is cooked move it to a bowl and cool it down until you can touch.
- Then, make the rice into a triangle shape or circle, and then flatten the top and bottom.
- In a small bowl, add miso, mirin, and dashi powder then mix.
- Use a medium size pan and turn the heat to medium. I recommend you use non stick pan if you have it but if you don't have it, prepare parchment paper that fits the pan and place it in the pan.
- Add a thin layer of oil. (I used sesame oil)
- Put rice balls on the pan, and cook one side until It is slightly brown and crispy. About 2-3 minutes.
- Flip and cook the other side.
- After the both sides are cooked (brown and crispy), let's brush or spoon the rice balls with the miso mixture. Start with one side.
- Flip the miso side on the bottom and cook for 2 minutes with medium heat. Miso is easy to burn so please make sure not to burn too much.
- While cooking, brush or spoon the other side with the miso mixture.
- After one side is cooked, flip and cook the other side too.
Let's eat!
- This is a great snack!
I used butter to finish. This is a great recipe.
Thank you for the comment! Yes, adding butter sounds so tasty! I will try it 🙂
This was amazing, thank you! I was born in Japan and my aunt used to make for me. I made it for the first time and it was great. I showed off my aunt
Hi! Thank you too! I am sure your aunt was happy that you tried your memorable food of her!
Hi Yuka! As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I should’ve tried it! I love Miso so much and It was a great snack for me! Btw I didn’t burn it because I followed your tips!
Hi Ellen! Thank you for thinking that way 🙂 I love Miso too! I am glad my tips are helpful!!
It was good and definitely easy to make using your recipe! The only hard part is finding Mirin. I live in an area there is no Japanese/Asian grocery stores. I looked a few grocery stores near by but couldn’t find it so I finally ordered on Amazon! Thank you for giving the link! It helped.
Thank you! I want every Japanese recipe to be simple and easy as possible. I know traditional Japanese foods can be difficult (more steps) to make but I am sharing easier versions of them.
Sorry you had hard time finding Mirin! But I am glad you bought it and tried this recipe! Mirin is so useful to have. A lot of Japanese recipes are using Mirin so it is good to have it!
I do love your recipe. I am not Japanese but all of my family are Asian. Everyone enjoys the foods that I have made using your recipe! Thank you!!
Thank you for trying my recipe! I am so happy your family also enjoy the recipe:)