Cooking rice balls so called onigiri :)

Today I'd like to introduce how to cook 'rice ball', so called "onigiri" or "omusubi" in Japan. Let's start cooking, shall we? :)

 Japan has some unique ingredients though, you could use what you can get in your place.  Baked salmon, vegetables such as cucumber, whatever :D At least you need rice, but that's it.

 First, preparing rice. Basically rice balls are made for eating outside like a picnic! (I like picnic a lot by the way ;)) Naturally, we have to make it cool. Use a fan, or just leave the rice sometime while you're cutting or cooking some toppings on it, it's also good for cooling the rice.

 This time I put sesame and dried seaweeds which is sliced :D

And some flavor as well!

 I prepared another basin to make the rice half potion, I mean, make rice half and half. Why? Because I wanted to enjoy two kinds of flavors of rice balls ;)

 In Japan, we use rice called "Japonica rice", which is rather sticky. We cook it with our hands. In order not to stick rice on my hands, I dipped them in water a moment, then start triangulate rices. 'Why the triangle shape?' You would think. Well... I don't know :P There are many other shapes like rounded, box-shaped and so forth. It all depends on you ;)

Tip: If you have a cling wrap for foods, it's way easier making rice balls by using it :D

 Use your two hands and try to make it triangle shape.

I added a Japanese apricot that is pickled, yes, a common topping for rice ball.

 It has a seed in it, you know. I always take it off so that I don't chew it during eating the rice ball. When we buy rice balls with Japanese apricot at stores, it all depends on sellers whether they remain a seed or not. And you can't tell it until you eat. So please careful when you eat rice balls which include it.
 When you eat it which I made? It never contains seed, so no worry! ;)

I made four of them. Look, they are different sizes, something are not even triangle shapes, yes, my mistake, haha.

 This is it, dried laver seaweed, we call it "Nori" by the way. Let's wrap rice balls with it :)

 Before explaining anything, forgive me for my left wrist :( I should have hidden it... :(

 Laying down seaweed thing and put the rice ball on it. Then,

 Wrap,

 Wrap,

 Wrapping!

 Here it is :)

 Rice ball is really easy to cook. Actually you don't even need seaweed things like I just said above. Only rice, that's it and I also like plain one! I hope you will cook, eat and like it ;)