Photo/Illutration Onigiri rice balls (Chikako Tada)

Happy December! Time to haul out the sweaters?

No, it is time to run! In cities like New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong, 42.195-kilometer marathons are returning after being canceled last year due to the pandemic.

But the ones in Okayama and Fukuoka, where I live, have not yet returned. And even if they had, they are not easy to enter as runners need to win a lottery just to register.

I started jogging when I was in Paris in my mid-30s.

I had gained 5-6 kilograms, which I put on learning how to make French pastry.

Running is simple and requires little beyond a pair of shoes. My first race was “La Parisienne,” a 7-km race for women.

Once I experienced that runner’s high, my goal was to join a full marathon, and I started traveling for them. I ran in Osaka, Paris, Mumbai (three times!), Honolulu, Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Many people say onigiri rice balls are one of the best foods for race day. Rice is high in carbohydrate, a great source of energy.

I believe rice balls are a go-to portable fuel for Japanese marathoners.

On race days, in particular, I make them with my favorite fillings. The small balls are easy to carry in the pocket of my running shorts to the starting point, where I can eat one quickly.

Recently, a friend told me that Japanese scouting associations recommend a simple lunch like rice balls during activities for the children in their scout troops.

It’s called a “Scout bento.” The fillings remind me of my rice balls on race day, stuffed with delicious flavors.

These days, the lack of races has left me without much motivation, but I keep running so I can bring energy into my day with rice balls.

One of the good things about running is that we can pause and resume marathons at any time in life.

There is no need to worry about forming a smooth shape for onigiri. Just shape them gently in the palms of your hands with a little TLC*.

* tender loving care

■ Onigiri Rice Balls ■

(Ingredients for 6 pieces)
- 180 grams short-grain rice
- 260 ml water
- 2/3 tsp salt
- 6 small pieces of nori seaweed

■ Fillings ■
- Salted Japanese plums, canned tuna with mayonnaise, grilled sausages

■ Japanese omelet ■
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp honey (or sugar)
- 1.5 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vegetable oil

Directions
1. Wash rice, soak in water with salt for 30 minutes. If cooking in a pot, bring to a boil, stir and cook over low heat for 12-13 minutes.

2. Fluff the rice with a rice paddle when cooked.

3. Make omelet. Combine eggs, honey and milk. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat; add oil and pour in two-thirds of the egg mixture.

4. Stir when the mixture starts to cook. Tilt the pan and roll it up with a spatula and bring it to one corner.

5. Pour in the remaining mixture. Pile it together again. Flip over and allow to cook well. Remove to a board and slice any way you like.

6. Make rice balls. Put 1/6 of the rice on a piece of plastic wrap.

7. Place filling in center then cover with a small amount of rice.

8. Covering the rice with the wrap, press lightly into a triangle, rotating four or five times.

9. Place onigiri in the center of a piece of nori seaweed, folding both ends toward the center.

10. Fold any excess seaweed into the bottom of the onigiri. Make six.

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Scan this QR code with your smartphone to view the recipe video in English.
https://www.youtube.com/c/PenandSpoon

* * *

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 5, 2021, issue of Asahi Weekly.

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Chikako Tada

Chikako Tada: The author of seven cookbooks, Tada is a Japanese food journalist and editor of Pen & Spoon, a website devoted to food (https://pen-and-spoon.com/). She worked as a newspaper reporter for 12 years before going freelance. She spent two years studying baking in Paris and began making bento around 2016 during her seven-year stay in India. She returned to Japan in 2020 and lives in Fukuoka.

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