Onigiri I

Description
Japanese rice balls.
 * Contributed by Catsrecipes Y-Group
 * Serves 12

Ingredients

 * 4 cups Japanese short-grain rice
 * 1 envelope bonito shavings
 * 5 seasoned plums (umeboshi)
 * 4 oz salmon
 * 2 sheets nori (seaweed wrappers)
 * 2 tsp salt

Directions

 * 1) Rinse salmon and pat dry with a paper towel.
 * 2) Sprinkle with salt.
 * 3) Place on a rack over a cookie sheet or small dish and bake in 400°F oven for an hour to dry it out.
 * 4) Cook rice according to package directions (i.e. without adding fat) so that it's sticky.
 * 5) Prepare three bowls.
 * 6) When salmon is done, ground the fillet up into small pieces with a fork or mortar and pestle and place in the first bowl.
 * 7) Mash seasoned plums with a fork and place in second bowl.
 * 8) Empty contents of one small bonito shaving envelope into the third bowl.
 * 9) Divide rice into three portions, and add one portion to each bowl.
 * 10) Mix lightly to combine with seasoning ingredient.
 * 11) Wet hands slightly.
 * 12) Dip one finger tip into leftover salt and smear the salt so that sticks on both hands.
 * 13) Take ¼ of rice mixture from first bowl.
 * 14) Form into a ball.
 * 15) Make it compact, but not so much that the grains of rice become mush.
 * 16) Form into a triangle, square, or cylinder.
 * 17) Repeat for the remaining rice.
 * 18) Each seasoning bowl should yield four rice balls, for a total of twelve.
 * 19) Place each one on a piece of parchment paper to keep them from sticking.
 * 20) Cut each sheet of nori into three strips lengthwise.
 * 21) Then cut each strip in half.
 * 22) Wrap one small strip of nori around the bottom of each rice ball to form an envelope to hold it with.
 * 23) Serve immediately.
 * 24) If you won't be serving immediately, wait to wrap the rice in the nori, as it will absorb water from the rice and lose its crunch.
 * 25) Instead, wrap tightly and refrigerate.
 * 26) Let the rice balls come to room temperature before serving.