Mmmm. . . some Walmarts carry all these ingredients as well. Mmmmm. . .

If you lack means to bake (like me right now) but have the ability to boil rice and refridgerate, onigiri is yummy, and you can put whatever flavorings in you need! Directions are lifted from wikihow because I am not all that great at explaining in words how things are done (I usually just cook by myself if the other person doesn't know how to make something).

Ingredients:

Nori

Sticky Rice (here's a good explaination; I've had some success with jasmine rice overcooked, but I like overcooked rice.)

a filling (Examples that I've tried: Mustards [Spicy, Sweet, pepper etc]; Orange Marmalade; Plum Sauce; Soy paste; Wasabi; Peanut butter; Chocolate [best with cooking chocolate or dark chocolate]; veggies; if you like tunafish salad works well, but I'm allergic; some Hawaiians use Spam, and it seems to have been taken up in Okinawa as well; but anything that fits what you are hungry for will work.)

Tools:

A pot to boil rice in

Cutting board or Wax paper

dish full of water for your hands

a scooper for the rice (a large spoon works, or an actual Rice scooper]

Anything you may need to prepare your fillings, and something to lay them out in/on (I like Saki cups for if I'm making an array with sauces as the filling)

Plastic Wrap to keep your Onigiri fresh if you aren't eating them right away

1. Follow the directions for cooking the rice. [Sav's note: link goes to basic directions on how to cook rice; Here is a recipe for Thai style sticky rice if you choose it]  Note it should be Japanese-style rice so it sticks together easily. However, you might want to leave the rice in the pot for about 20 to 30 minutes before turning the rice cooker or pot on, so that the rice can become sticky.

2. Let the rice stand for a few minutes for it to cool down before proceeding. As you're waiting, make your fillings (if applicable as this is optional). [Sav's Note: this is to kill time, but doing this now instead of at the beginning means your fillings will be fresh.]

3. Place a cutting board or wax paper on the counter and wet your hands thoroughly. This is to keep the rice from sticking to your hands (although some grains will still stick) and to keep your hands cool from the hot rice. Scoop some rice with a spoon or scooper. [Sav's Note: here, you may want to roll and then flatten the rice in your hands. The ball should be big enough to fit whatever your filling is, but can range from hors d'oevres sized to the size of your fist- or larger if you want!]

4. Make a deep crater in the rice ball, but don't puncture it to the point that your fingers slip to the other side! This is where your filling is going to go, so just deep enough to place things in.

5. Insert your fillings into the hole. Make sure that you don't overfill it! Fold some rice over the hole/crater so that all fillings are hidden. If you press too lightly, the rice won't stick together and will crumble as you eat it. If you press too hard, the rice will get mushy and soggy. To make a triangle, make an "L" shape with your hand and use that to shape your rice with. [Sav's Note: It can be any shape, so don't worry about this. It will taste the same if it is a log or a ball or an amorphous lump. Just make sure that the rice covers all the filling! Here's an illustration of forming the basic shapes.]

6. Wrap nori (seaweed) around your onigiri. It's up to the person if they wish to use a strip or wrap the whole rice ball in seaweed. The seaweed keeps your hands rice-free and keeps the rice ball in its shape. [Sav's note: If you dislike Nori- it's seaweed, some people don't like it- you could try an alternative such as salted greens, Rice paper, or a crepe wrapping. I have some images of the basic ways of wrapping them below.]

7. Wrap your onigiri in plastic wrap or place it into your bento box. Enjoy! [Sav's Note: I like to refridgerate mine for a couple of hours- but if you rice isn't sticky enough, they will fall apart.] 

If you decide you like this dish- or want to experiment with it or make it pretty- you could invest in some Onigiri molds. They come in practically any shape you can think of, and may be very useful for those with Dyspraxia. 

If you just like making food pretty- or decide to obsess over Bentos- check out Onigiri on Parade, which gives some examples of common ways to make your Onigiri prettiful. If you want more info on Onigiri, check out Just Bento's Onigiri page.

If you- like me- need a simple picture of what "wrapping in Nori" means, here are some examples:

That last one is using an alternative to Nori, Salted Shiso leaves. If you like, Learn about Shiso here.