Milk Street Digital Class: Konbini: Iconic Japanese Food with Brendan Liew

What’s on the Menu: 
Preparing and cooking perfect rice for onigiri and sushi 
Four types of onigiri: shio salmon, tuna mayo, awase miso and gochujang chicken
Essential sushi roll

Onigiri is Japan’s original convenience food, a portable snack that might be enjoyed as a breakfast on the go, a quick bite while traveling or even for energy on a hike. But unlike protein bars packed with mystery ingredients, onigiri also employ some of the most fundamental ingredients and techniques of Japanese cooking. So what is it, exactly? Onigiri, as a category, is rice packed around a delicious filling and folded into a pouch made of dried seaweed (nori). Join guest teacher Brendan Liew, author of the new book “Konbini: Cult recipes, stories and adventures from Japans iconic convenience stores,” for a pre-recorded livestream cooking class where you’ll learn to make and adapt onigiri to your own taste. 

We start with the rice. Brendan shows you how to wash, drain and cook rice perfectly so that it’s sticky enough to hold together but not gummy or goopy. You’ll learn how to season the rice with classic mix-ins, such as furikake, sesame seeds, shiso leaves and more. Then, you’ll practice carefully shaping the rice around umami-rich, bold fillings like gochujang-spiced chicken, tuna, salmon and miso. Finally, you’ll carefully bundle it all up in a piece of nori. As a bonus, Brendan shows you how to take those same ingredients and skills and make a classic sushi roll—which will seem easy after the careful craft of making perfect onigiri.