This is a lunch-time staple around here - very easy to make and seems to jump down Matthew's gullet all by itself and in no time flat. That can't be said for very many foods that come near him - quite a few end up facing a wall of resistance that could fend off a well-armed invading force of samurai warriors.You take the frozen little fishies out of the freezer (chirimenjako - dried sardines):
They look almost too cute to eat, but oh well!
You chop 'em to little bits so nobody knows they're in the rice (but they're a nice source of protein so much needed)...
You get your rice, water, and little pack of multigrains and beans going in the rice cooker and you stir it all about...
You fold in the fishies and shake on some katsuo (bonito flake) and sesame furikake (or any kind you've got - sometimes we use the dried egg and toasted sesame flavor)...
Then you make little presents of dried seaweed (nori) wrapped around balls of rice, and you watch them disappear...
Matthew also wanted me to take pictures of the apple slices he ate and the water he drank, but they didn't come out very well. You'll just have to take my word for it.That's what it's all about!
What a palette you son has!!
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Even for grownups!
ReplyDeleteReeni, yes, I guess compared to Western kids he probably seems pretty adventurous, but onigiri are a staple in Japanese people's diets. I love 'em, too! But some basic stuff, like spaghetti, he usually won't touch.
ReplyDeleteJenn, I do like these, too! There are so many flavors of onigiri and I love most of them.
The youth eating sushi! Love it!
ReplyDeleteDuo Dishes, yes, he'll eat onigiri, but not spaghetti! Go figure. :)
ReplyDeleteFun for the kiddies...and great way to sneak some protein and grains into their diets.
ReplyDeleteThose little sardines must give such a great flavour to the rice. In Greece it's not permitted to fish any kind of fish so small.
ReplyDeleteThe little sardines are facinating! I have to look for them at the local Asian market.
ReplyDeleteJoan, thanks! Yes, good for Matthew, and I eat them, too! :)
ReplyDeleteIvy, they do add a nice fishy flavor. I wonder sometimes about the fishing legalities in Japan - seems like anything goes. They fish for whales to eat while saying it's for "scientific" purposes. They even have whale meat in the public schools lunches sometimes.
Maggie, I hope you can find them. They are boiled and dried baby sardines, sometimes called just chirimen, or chirimenjako.