Name: Haku's Onigiri
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japan
Ingredients: 500 g cooked short-grain Japanese rice, warm; 1/2 tsp salt, plus more for your hands; 4 nori strips, optional; water, for wetting your hands; umeboshi (pickled plum) or other filling, optional

In Spirited Away (2001), Haku offers Chihiro two simple rice balls after she becomes overwhelmed and starts crying in the unfamiliar spirit world, and the small, wordless comfort of that gesture is one of the film's most tender early moments.

A proper onigiri is seasoned on the outside, not mixed through, with lightly salted wet hands doing the work rather than salt stirred into the rice itself, which keeps the balance exactly as plain and comforting as the scene calls for.

Part of our 40 famous movie foods list.

method

Wet your hands with water, then rub a small pinch of salt over your palms.

Take a handful of warm rice, about the size of a small fist, and if using a filling, press a small indent into the center and tuck in a little umeboshi or your filling of choice.

Gently shape the rice into a triangle or round ball, pressing firmly enough to hold together but not so hard that it becomes dense; a light touch keeps the rice fluffy inside.

Wrap a strip of nori around the base if using.

Repeat with the remaining rice.

Serve at room temperature or slightly warm; onigiri are traditionally eaten by hand.

chef's tips

Wetting your hands and salting them lightly, rather than salting the rice itself, is the traditional method; it seasons just the outside, which is exactly the balance a plain onigiri is meant to have.
Shape the rice with a gentle, confident touch. Overworking it or pressing too hard squeezes out the fluffiness that makes a good onigiri pleasant to eat.
In Spirited Away (2001), Haku gives Chihiro two simple onigiri after she becomes overwhelmed and starts crying in the spirit world, and the small, wordless comfort of the gesture is one of the film's most tender early moments.
Plain, unfilled onigiri, salted only on the outside, is a genuine and common style, not a simplified version; filling is a nice option, not a requirement.