Will frozen bento onigiri be Japan’s next big convenience store food trend?【Taste test】

We check out three flavors to see if cramming a whole lunch right into a rice ball is really a genius thought or simply one other gimmick.

2024 was a very good yr for onigiri (rice balls), notably among the many comfort retailer line-ups, from an beautiful collaboration with a restaurant to a rice ball and instantaneous noodle fusion. One development actually caught with us: the bento onigiri, which does away with all the pieces pointless and condenses the essence of a bento boxed lunch right into a rice ball kind, creating an intense deliciousness.

As we have been wandering round a comfort retailer, reflecting on how satisfying the bento onigiri was, we noticed one thing within the frozen meals nook: frozen bento onigiri. Instantly, we have been intrigued. Shares of bento onigiri in comfort shops aren’t as quite a few as common onigiri, so to have entry to a frozen model everytime you’re within the temper for one seemed like a improbable thought.

Made by an organization known as Shinobu Meals, they’ve apparently been on sale since March 2024, so it’s a thriller as to how these have eluded us to date. With no second to waste, we scooped up all three flavors the shop was promoting.

Again dwelling, the primary one we opted for was the Nori Bento-style onigiri, priced at 290 yen (US$1.90). Since most onigiri are wrapped in nori (a sort of seaweed) and nori bento options rice topped with nori, couldn’t you simply name it a daily onigiri? Nevertheless, nori bento typically contains different components, similar to deep-fried white fish, deep-fried fish cake, and finely-chopped bonito, all of which make an look on this onigiri.

After heating the rice ball within the microwave for 4 minutes, we have been able to get pleasure from a scorching sizzling meal. It’s no marvel the bundle features a warning that the onigiri shall be “very popular” and that the microwaveable pocket is sealed with a sticker that reads “It’s sizzling, so watch out to not burn your self!!” too.

The fillings have been reduce into smaller items than they’d be in a bento, making them simpler to eat. Nevertheless, the rice was a bit dry and the nori somewhat gentle.

The flavour wasn’t too dangerous, however doesn’t actually maintain its personal subsequent to an precise nori bento. With that being mentioned, since this can be a frozen meals and never a freshly made lunch, we’ll give it some leeway.

Subsequent up was the Japanese-style Tsukune Bowl Onigiri (291 yen). Whereas tsukune (“hen meatball”) onigiri aren’t notably unusual, the “bowl” facet of its title is somewhat complicated, since there’s no bowl. Coming from Japan’s tasty donburi (“rice bowl”) dishes, the place rice is paired with quite a lot of toppings and served in a bowl, it’s proof that the makers have given particular consideration to how the tsukune enhances the rice.

With one other handheld pack of lava, contemporary from the microwave, it was time to eat.

Choosing it up, it held collectively surprisingly nicely, so we opened it up for a better look. It looks like the filling was particularly designed to be crumble-resistant.

Structural integrity apart, the flavour of the onigiri was nothing mind-blowing, however nonetheless fairly good. The mix of kinpira lotus root, egg soboro, and soy sauce-seasoned rice, showcased an honest stage of workmanship. Kinpira is a Japanese cooking type, the place root greens are cooked in a sweet-savory sauce produced from sugar, soy sauce, and mirin (a candy Japanese cooking wine). Egg soboro, then again, is finely scrambled eggs made by cooking them with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin, stirring always till they kind little bits of egg. The flavors all meshed collectively to kind an honest meal.

Lastly, it was the flip of the Yakitori (grilled hen) Bowl Onigiri (290 yen).

When in comparison with the tsukune onigiri, the sauce made this much more troublesome to deal with, and the meat was somewhat too large to carry comfortably.

After two situations of flavors that lacked the “wow” issue, we have been shocked to find, although, that the Yakitori Bowl Onigiri tastes actually good. The chunks of hen have been elevated to scrumptious heights by the Japanese omelet that had soaked up lots of the sauce.

The concept of packing a full bento into an onigiri is admittedly thrilling and, whereas these frozen treats really feel like they nonetheless have room for enchancment, they’re displaying loads of potential. Not like most onigiri, which have to be eaten inside a day, you’ll be able to retailer these in preparation for at any time when the starvation pangs strike you. That’s positively a win in our books. We’re ready with anticipation to see how these frozen bento onigiri will develop sooner or later and what flavors they are going to come out with subsequent.

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