It’s another edition of SCK Tries where we try out a DIY to see how it works in real life and whether we’d recommend you give it a go. This time it’s a Mimy onigiri mould set to make bunny-shaped rice balls.
The Original DIY
While digging around in my kitchen cupboards recently, I found this kit that I apparently bought in 2017 (while brainstorming ideas for The Super Cute Book of Kawaii) and have never used! It includes everything you need to make adorable bunny-shaped onigiri and I felt like it was really time to try it out.
Kit Contents & Materials
The kit includes all the tools you need – a bunny-shaped mould in 3 parts (I’ll explain what they do later) 2 sets of cutters and even a little rubber cutting mat. The instructions are in Japanese but there are pictures and it’s pretty obvious really. You need to provide all the edible parts – hot cooked Japanese/sushi rice (can be instant/microwaved), nori seaweed sheets for the faces and ham/cheese/veggies for other decorations. The rice balls can be eaten hot (on their own or with something like curry), or cold in a bento lunch.
Process
Nori is widely available now but I couldn’t get it in my small town so decided to experiment with alternatives in case you’re in the same situation. My first idea was spinach leaves and that worked really well, as long as you pick out flatter leaves or they can curl up a bit. They stayed green without wilting or going brown and can be eaten raw or cooked. Other green leafy veg like cabbage or pak choi would probably work too but may need to be cooked first before it’s soft enough to cut cleanly.
While the rice cooked, I cut some carrot and flower shapes from carrot slices. This is quite wasteful but you can still eat the offcuts or hide them in curry. I tried cutting a very pretty bell pepper too but the skin caused some issues so I’d stick to hard veggies. I have a rice cooker so I popped these in the steamer basket on top to cook at the same time. You can also boil them or use a microwave.
Making the rice balls is pretty simple too. The rounded head part fits into the handle part, so you can use it as a scoop. I only made a small amount of rice though so used a (bunny-shaped!) rice paddle to fill it, making sure to put the whitest rice in the bottom and hide the browned parts on top. You then use the flat piece to squeeze the rice into all the corners and push it out. This worked extremely well with no sticking, though you have to be careful not to touch them too much as the rice will stick to your fingers and mess up the outline. You can also add furikake seasoning or natural colourings to your rice for multicolour bunnies.
If you want to serve the onigiri hot, you’ll need to make sure everything else is ready and prepared so you can assemble your meal quickly. I put my bunnies and carrot pieces in the fridge so I’d have more time and ate all the leftovers. The next day I cut some more faces from spinach, plus ears from ham slices. Tweezers helped a lot to place them where I wanted and soon I had some bunnies!
The End Result
I can’t believe how easy and cute this was! Using the mould takes moments and even cutting and adding the decorations doesn’t take very long. I’m pleased with the spinach idea for a more everyday option too. The bunnies are quite large – I usually make the minimum amount my rice cooker allows (2 servings, which works out as 3 for small me) and that was just about enough for 6 bunnies, not completely filled to the top.
I’m not a food stylist (clearly!) and I was hungry but I attempted to add some curry sauce and my carrot decorations, which looks even cuter. The onigiri reheated well in the microwave, even with the decorations added. While I probably won’t bother to do all the steps every time I make rice, I’m definitely taking the extra few seconds to scoop bunnies. I can imagine these would be great for kids too.
This kit sadly seems to be sold out as I can’t find it online at any reputable sites. However, Bento&co (JP) still stock the equally cute panda onigiri kit from the same company and even made a video. BentoUSA (US) also stock some similar moulds and cutters.
If you’re hoarding any cute kits in your cupboards, this is your sign to give it a go! I wish I hadn’t left this so long.
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