I love nori and always keep some in my refrigerator. However, it wilts easily when exposed to humidity. When nori sheets become soggy, I often make it into a paste, known as tsukudani which can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Tsukudani is a general term for seaweed, seafood and meat simmered with soy sauce, sugar and mirin. The origins of the name come from Tsukudajima in Tokyo where tsukudani was made for the fi rst time during the Edo period (1603–1868). This nori tsukudani is not only tasty with rice, but on toast as well!
Ingredients
- 0.33 tsp Wasabi + more if needed
- 17 oz (480 g) Cooked Japanese short grain rice
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 Nori seaweed sheets
Nori paste
- 5 Nori seaweed sheets, 21 x 19-cm (81/3 x 71/2-in) each, cut into small pieces
- 6¾ fl oz Water (200 ml)
- 0.2 oz Bonito flakes (5 g)
- ½ tbsp Sugar
- 0.12 tbsp Mirin
- 1 tsp Sake
- 1½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
How to Make It
- To make nori paste, put nori and water in a frying pan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Add bonito fl akes and cook until most of the moisture evaporates. Add sugar, mirin, sake and soy sauce and cook until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally to mix well. Transfer nori paste to a bowl and leave to cool.
- Mix 4 Tbsp cooled nori paste with wasabi. Taste and add more wasabi if desired.
- To make onigiri, scoop one-quarter of the rice into a rice bowl. Make a 2-cm (1-in) indentation in the rice with your fi nger and add 1 tsp nori paste.
- Wet your hands and spread a pinch of salt on your palms and fi ngers. Transfer the rice to your hands and gently press rice 2–3 times into your preferred shape. Wrap nori around rice ball as desired. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
