"Rice balls (or "onigiri" in Japanese) are Atlas's all-time favourite. They originate from Japan and are made with rice and any filling of your choice, usually wrapped in roasted seaweed. They are nutritious, delicious, versatile, easy to carry, and fun to eat. They can also involve children in the preparation. They’re Atlas's top choice for school-packed lunches and picnics, and I hope you enjoy them too!" - Atlas + Whānau

Ingredients:

• 1 cup short-grain rice

• sushi vinegar (substitute: white vinegar and sugar) to taste

• 1 slice salmon (or any filling you like, such as canned tuna or minced meat)

• 1 piece roasted seaweed

*All ingredients are available in local supermarket's international aisle

Method:

• Season the salmon generously with salt and let it marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

• Add the rice and the same amount of water into the rice cooker, switch it on, and let the rice cook.

• Transfer the cooked rice to a plate, then mix in sushi vinegar and salt to taste.

• Bake the salted salmon in the oven at 180°C  for 10 minutes, or until cooked.

• Remove excess oil from the salmon with a kitchen towel, then flake the salmon into small pieces and pick out any bones.

• Mix the flaked salmon with the rice from step 3 and let it cool to room temperature.

• Shape the rice mixture into your desired form. You can use a specialized rice ball mold if you have one, or shape the rice balls by hand. Wet your hands to prevent the rice from sticking (or use plastic wrap). Place a mouthful of rice onto your wet hand and roll it into a ball, applying some pressure to ensure it holds together. Repeat until all the rice is shaped.

• Cut the roasted seaweed with scissors and wrap it around the rice balls. You can wrap a narrow piece around the rice ball like a belt, or a thicker piece like a blanket.

Pro Tips:

• You can replace fresh salmon with canned salmon or other canned foods to save prep time.

• Instead of mixing the filling with the rice, you can also enclose the filling inside the rice ball. This method works well for saucier fillings or larger pieces (e.g., minced meat, avocado, prawn with mayo). It requires a bit more skill to shape and the ball will need to be larger.

• If you don’t have a rice cooker, pre-cooked rice is available at some Asian grocery stores. You just need to microwave it.