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This weekend, Vrghr tried his paw at creating some traditional Asian rice dishes: Onigiri and Kimbap (Gimbap).
While wuff's techniques for forming these still needs a lot of work, the flavors were fantastic!

This also works for FACCC2's "Cool It!" summer challenge. These light, cool, and tasty goodies are great for quick nibbles or more substantial repasts on a warm day. Easy and refreshing and they don't weigh you down.

Unfortunately, creating these does involve use of the rice cooker and a bit of saute' work to cook the eggs and soften the carrots and cabbage, so this doesn't qualify for the "no cooking" bonus. ( Boo! )

Pictured are the more "traditional" Onigiri shapes containing shrimp salad (the larger one) and smoked salmon (the smaller) as well as a round version using a mixture of shrimp and rice instead of a coating of rice with the shrimp in the middle.

Wuff also tried small squares coated with black sesame instead of Nori (seaweed), and filled with smoked salmon, fire-roasted red pepper, and seasoned bamboo shoots. Those weren't as successful; the sesame overpowered everything else and they really need the nori wrapper to hold things together better. Ah well, live and learn.

The two different kimbap versions had quite the assortment of goodies inside! And wonderful taste treats there were, too! Great flavor combinations. Of course, kimbap can be filled with just about anything you like. There are So Many variations available online as inspiration. Vrghr's versions here included:
The Round One: Krab sticks, sauteed carrots, pickled onion, hearts of palm, seasoned bamboo shoots, fire-roasted red pepper, Japanese omelette
The Triangular One: Broken Taco Lime Pickled Red Onions, pickled beets, sweet pickled onons, fire-roasted red pepper, sauteed purple cabbage, seasoned bamboo shoots, Japanese omelette

Wuffy used sushi-making molds to help form the round and triangular kimbap. Apparently these are also often made in square shapes as well. And there are "fold over" sandwich types too. Vrghr is definitely going to need to try those out as well.

These were all so tasty, and so easy once wuff got the hang of it. Wuff totally wants to try these again and again with different combinations of goodies. Most of the work revolves around slicing things up so they can be arranged prettily inside the wrappers.

To add some extra flavor, Vrghr seasoned the carrots and cabbage when sauteing them with soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin, and the bamboo shoots too with a bit of the same as marinade to soak in. The omelette also got a kick up with a bit of sugar, mirin, and soy sauce, as well as salt and pepper. Those flavors worked very well in these combinations!

Have fun with these! Wuff knows he sure did! Experiment and create your own flavor combinations.

INGREDIENTS:

Note: We had a LOT of these left over, enough for multiple more rolls. Adjust as you see fit!

For the Rice:

6 "steamer cups" (~1 lb) sushi (short grain) rice, prepared in steamer per package & steamer directions
(Made in 2 batches, seasoning is per batch
2 TBS seasoned rice vinegar
2 TBS Mirin
1 TBS Light Soy Sauce
Water per rice cooker's direction

For All:
Nori (sushi wrapping seaweed) Sheets
These usually come in packs of 10 or more. But you probably won't need that many. Keep closed/sealed until ready to use to keep humidity from making them soggy & limp

For the Stuffings:

1 1/2 C purple (red) cabbage, sliced fine-shredded
+ 1 TBS Butter, 1 TBS Sesame Oil, 2 TBS Soy Sauce, 2 TBS Mirin
1 C shredded Carrots (wuff bought the pre-shredded type)
+ 1 TBS Butter, 2 tsp Sesame Oil, 1 TBS Soy Sauce, 1 TBS Mirin
1 Jar Broken Taco Lime Pickled Red Onions, drained
1 Jar Giuliano Sweet Red Onion Strips, drained
1 jar Botticelli Fire Roasted Sweet Red Peppers, drained, sliced into strips
1 jar Aunt Nellie's Sliced Pickled Beets, drained, sliced into match sticks
4 oz Vita Classic Sliced Smoked Nova Salmon
3 oz Seafood Snackers Leg Style Imitation Crab, sliced into strips
1 can Dynasty Sliced Bamboo Shoots, drained, + 2 tsp ea. Soy Sauce & Mirin, & 1 tsp Sesame Oil mixed in
1 can Great Value Hearts of Palm, drained, sliced into planks

For the Omelette:

4 eggs
2 TBS heavy Cream
2 tsp light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Mirin
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the Shrimp Salad for the Onigiri:

12 oz Cooked, peeled, tail-off, Xtra Small (salad) Shrimp
1 TBS (more as needed) Mayo
2 tsp light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Hot Sauce (optional) (Vrghr used Gochujang)
1 tsp Sugar

For Garnish:

Black Sesame Seeds
Furikake (Rice Seasoning) Note: There are MANY types! Wuff used Ebi and Wasabi versions, but feel free to pick your fav!)
Black Sesame Seeds

Equipment:
Rice Cooker
Sushi Molds (square, triangular, round, or otherwise)

DIRECTIONS:
Make the Rice:

Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to the cooker or rice package directions. When the rice has finished cooking, fluff with a paddle and season with Seasoned (sushi) Rice Vinegar, Mirin, and Soy Sauce. Mix gently to combine, trying not to break up to many rice grains. Cover or keep in rice cooker with lid closed in "keep warm" mode to prevent drying out

For the Onigiri:
Make the Shrimp Salad:

Thaw the shrimp and rough chop. Add to a bowl and add the Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Sugar, and (optional) Hot Sauce. Mix to combine. Add just enough mayo to coat (about a Tablespoon)

To make the "traditional" triangular Onigiri, you can use an Onigiri mold or manually; Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking. Some folks recommend laying a square of plastic wrap over your hand to hold the rice instead. Take half a handful of sushi rice. Put an indention in the middle with your thumb and spoon your filling into it. Wuff used some of the smoked salmon in one, wadded up to fit, and a spoon or so of the shrimp salad in another. Cover with another portion of the sushi rice. Cupping your hands, squeeze to compress the rice into a ball. Continue to squeeze and turn, squeeze and shape. You'll find that if you hold you hands cupped, they naturally form a triangular shape. Go with that and encourage it until you have the traditional flatten pyramid/triangle shape

You want the rice compressed enough to hold together, but not squashed so tight that it is dense and hard

Optional: Cut a strip of nori to make a "touching point" to hold the Onigiri without the rice sticking to your fingers when you eat it. You can wrap it up the sides from the bottom, around the narrower edge, or wrap up the whole thing: it's all optional. Or you can leave them bare. Generally, the shiny side of the seaweed faces outward

Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds or Furikaki for garnish and extra flavor.

Technique #2: Mix a handful of sushi rice with a tablespoon or two of your shrimp salad (or other flavorings) and work the two together to mix well. Form into a ball and compress enough to hold its shape. You can garnish this with Sesame or Furikake or wrap a strip of nori around it (though nori normally isn't used on this ball form)

For the Kimbap:

Gimbap or Kimbap - both are the same thing. Here's how wuff created his versions here:

Saute the Carrots & Cabbage to soften:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter or olive oil until hot. Add the carrots and Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, and Mirin. Stir and cook until all the carrots are tender and seasoned. Remove to a plate to hold for filling

Repeat for the cabbage but increase the seasonings as listed and add the following step: Cover the skillet after the first stir and allow to steam in the juices given off by the cabbage for a couple minutes to hasten the softening. Then remove the lid and continue to stir/cook until nice and tender and a good, dark purple color. Remove to a plate to hold for filling

Cook the Omelette:

Wipe out the skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Combine the eggs, cream, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and whisk together until completely combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Add the eggs to the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. The idea is to create a relatively flat "pancake" of eggs and not a fluffy American or French omelette. Lift the edges and tilt to let the liquid eggs slide under to cook. IF Skilled Enough, when most of the eggs are set but still liquid on top, flip the omelette and BRIEFLY cook the top to set the eggs, then remove to a plate. Slice into long strips for prettier filling

For the other "stuffings":

If the ingredient isn't already in planks or strips forms, cut them up into those to make easier and prettier insertions. Remove to a plate to make access quick and easy when stuffing your Kimbap

Make the Kimbap:

Place a sheet of Nori shiny side down into the mold. Fill the mold about 1/3-1/2 full of sushi rice. Using the tool that came with your mold or your thumb, create a deep pocket in the center of the round or triangular mold or flatten and compress the rice into the bottom of the square mold to make a flat "floor."

Layer your fillings into the mold inside the wrapper of nori in your desired order. You can sit them side-by-side, one atop the other, etc. Compress each layer tightly with the lid of the mold to keep your kimbap from falling apart when you remove it. Be sure to keep your sheet of nori along the sides and not folded over onto the fillings when you compress them!

Top off your mold with another layer of sushi rice and compress it tightly. You should still have a couple flaps of the nori sheet sticking out the top of the mold. Wet the top flaps of the nori very gently with water and fold them overlapping each other on the top. Compress one last time, gently, to get the nori to stick to everything

If your mold has slots for your knife (some do, some don't) slice your roll using the slots as a guide. Wet before slicing and clean and wet it again between slices to get clean cuts and keep it from sticking

Gently turn your roll out onto a plate or cutting board. If you have a bamboo sushi mat, use it to compress and re-form your roll for best appearance. Separate your slices and place on your presentation plate

Repeat with remaining rolls and ingredients

You can garnish with sesame seeds, Furikake, chopped scallions/green onions or chives, or leave "as-is"

!DEVOUR!

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From Chris: There was also an article on MSN on this very dish, for which you can go here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddr.....3f1&ei=167