TOKYO, Japan — The word “onigiri” became part of the this year, proof that the humble sticky-rice ball and mainstay of Japanese food has entered the global lexicon.
Fast because you can find it even at convenience stores. Slow because it uses ingredients from the sea and mountains, he said. And soul food because it's often made and consumed among family and friends. No tools are needed, just gently cupped hands.Onigiri in its earliest form is believed to go back at least as far as the early 11th Century; it's mentioned in Murasaki Shikibu’s “The Tale of Genji.
There are just two tables. The counter has eight chairs. Takeout is an option, but you still have to stand in line. “In classical music, you play what’s written on the music sheet. Onigiri is the same,” he says. “You don’t try to do something new.” He places the hot rice in triangular molds that look like cookie cutters, rubs salt on his hands and then cups the rice — three times to gently firm the sides. The crisp nori, or seaweed, is wrapped like a kerchief around the rice, with one end up so it stays crunchy.“The Yadoroku onigiri will not change until the end of Earth,” Miura said with a grin.Miyuki Kawarada runs Taro Tokyo Onigiri, which has four outlets in Japan. She is eyeing Los Angeles, too, and then Paris.
Her gu gets adventurous. Cream cheese is mixed with a pungent Japanese pickle called"iburigakko,” for instance, and each onigiri costs 250 yen . Spam and egg onigiri costs 300 yen ; the one adorned with several types of “kombu,” or edible kelp, called “Dashi Punch X3,” costs 280 yen .The customers