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Air fryer yaki onigiri — Japanese grilled rice balls with a crisp golden crust, served on a small white plate

Air Fryer Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls)

Japanese grilled rice balls with a crisp, savory crust, made in an air fryer in seven minutes. The soy sauce, mirin, and dashi are mixed through the rice before shaping, so every bite is seasoned and the surface browns evenly with no flipping and no oil.
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Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4 rice balls
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice about 10.5 oz; warm, or leftover rice reheated
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin hon-mirin
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp dashi powder one small sachet
  • 3 g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) a small handful

Method
 

  1. Put the warm rice in a bowl. If using rice from the fridge, microwave it first - cold rice will not take the seasoning evenly or hold together when pressed.
  2. Add the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, dashi powder, and katsuobushi to the bowl. Fold everything through with a rice paddle, cutting through the rice rather than stirring, until the color is even with no pale patches.
  3. Pack the seasoned rice firmly into a triangular onigiri mold and press the lid down hard, or shape by hand with wet palms. Pack them tightly - loosely packed rice balls fall apart in the basket. Makes 4.
  4. Arrange them in the air fryer basket with space between them so the hot air reaches every side. No oil and no parchment paper.
  5. Cook on the grill setting at 230C (450F) for 7 minutes. Do not flip them and do not open the drawer to check. They are ready when the surface is golden with darker toasted patches on the edges.
  6. Lift them out with a spatula rather than tongs and let them sit for a minute before eating, so the crust firms up.