Shiitake Onigiri Recipe (with Video)

1. Cook short grain rice according to the package instructions. We want to use fresh, warm rice when molding the onigiri.
2. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in a bowl with about 2 cups of boiling hot water for about 20 minutes. The mushrooms are ready when it is soft. If it still feels dry, then soak longer. Once the mushrooms have been rehydrated, remove the mushrooms but save the mushroom stock for later. Chop into small pieces to fit inside the onigiri. The tinier the pieces the better. You could use a food processor to make this step easier.
3. Add the mushroom to a separate, empty bowl. Season with soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and yondu. Heat up oil in a small pan and add the mushroom with one cup of the mushroom stock. Simmer the mushrooms for about 10 minutes and add more stock if it dries out too soon. Eventually, the mushrooms will absorb all the liquid. The mushrooms are fully cooked when they are soft and chewy. If it is tough to eat, simmer for longer with more of the remaining stock.
4. Time to mold the onigiri. Place one small bowl of water and another plate with 1 tbsp of salt side by side. Wet your hands in the bowl of water and add salt to your hands to prevent the rice from sticking. Scoop out 1/3 cup of the cooked rice into the palm of your hand. Add 1 tbsp of the mushroom to the center and cover with another 1/3 cup of rice. Gently squeeze the rice with both hands until it is packed together in the shape of a triangle.
5. Finally, wrap a 2-inch rectangle piece of nori around the bottom of the onigiri and enjoy!