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Transform leftover kombu into delicious plant-based rice balls with this easy and flavorful recipe! Learn how to make a savory tsukudani filling that bursts with umami, perfect for onigiri.

This no-waste cooking guide shows you how to repurpose kombu, often discarded after making dashi, into a delightful treat. You'll discover the simple steps to simmer kombu until tender and then reduce it with classic Japanese seasonings like soy sauce, mirin, and sake.



We'll also cover the art of shaping perfect rice balls, whether by hand or using handy molds. Get ready to impress yourself (and anyone lucky enough to share them!) with these tasty, homemade kombu onigiri.

#KombuOnigiri #NoWasteCooking #PlantBasedRecipes #Tsukudani
Transcript
00:01Hey everyone, I'm Yuto and today on Stachy, I'm going to show you how to make a delicious
00:05plant-based rice ball using leftover kombu, simmered in a simple yet flavorful broth.
00:11Let's get to it. First, you'll need 50 grams of rehydrated
00:16kombu, that's about 10 grams or so before soaking. Cut it into thin strips about 3 mm thick.
00:28This was kombu leftover from making homemade dashi. I didn't have time to use it straight
00:33away so I froze it and defrosted it for the video. This recipe is a great way to use up
00:39leftover kombu instead of throwing it away. If you want to learn more about making dashi,
00:45check out my other video.
00:48Okay, once it's all cut, let's make our tsukudani. Add the kombu to a pan along with
00:54500 ml of water, 2 tablespoons of sake, and a teaspoon of rice vinegar. Turn on the heat
01:09to medium so that we can bring that to a boil. The sake and rice vinegar help soften the texture
01:16and balance the flavor of the kombu.
01:20Once it starts to bubble, lower the heat to a simmer and let it cook uncovered until the
01:27liquid has reduced to a little less than half. This generally takes about 20 minutes.
01:36Okay, this is looking good. So now I'm adding 1 tablespoon of mirin, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce,
01:44and a tablespoon of light brown sugar. Mix it around and turn the heat back up to medium.
01:53From this point, we just want to cook it until the liquid is gone. Mix it from time to time
01:59to make sure nothing burns or sticks to the bottom of the pan.
02:05When it's thick and sticky like this, turn off the heat and mix in half a tablespoon of
02:10sesame seeds. This is ready to use straight away, so let's make our rice balls.
02:18So here I have a bowl of water to wet my hands. This will stop the rice from sticking. Sprinkle
02:26your palms with a couple of pinches of salt. This will season the rice on the outside and
02:32help preserve it.
02:34Next, I have some freshly cooked rice that I made in my rice cooker. Each rice ball uses
02:41about 100-250 grams of rice depending on how big you want it to be. Roll it into a ball
02:47and
02:47flatten it a bit like this. Then make a dent and add about 1 teaspoon worth of filling.
02:55You can add a bit more rice on top if you feel like it needs it, but in general, just
03:00fold
03:00the rice in half to encase the filling. Then press and turn to make it into a rounded triangle.
03:09You can add more filling if you like, but this Konbutsukudani is rich and flavourful so
03:14a little goes a long way. If you're not so confident in your shaping skills or just want to save
03:22time,
03:22I seriously recommend these plastic rice ball moulds from Daiso. Simply fill it up halfway,
03:29add the Konbutsukudani and then fill it up to the top. Press the lid down to pack the rice tightly,
03:38then take it off. Flip over and pop it out using the tab on the back.
03:49The final step is wrapping the rice ball in some crispy nori. And that's it, delicious rice
03:55balls filled with homemade Konbutsukudani. I hope you enjoyed that one and if you want to
04:01learn more rice ball recipes, check out the other videos on my channel or recipes on my
04:06blog. Links are in the description.
04:08Thanks for watching, I hope to see you next time. Have a great day.
04:13Bye.
04:13Bye.
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