Miso Pork Onigiri (Nikumiso Onigiri)

A simple and comforting Japanese rice ball filled with sweet and savory miso pork.Easy to make, versatile, and perfect for everyday meals.

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What is Nikumiso?

Nikumiso is a Japanese dish made with ground pork cooked in a mixture of miso, sugar, and mirin. It has a rich, sweet and savory flavor with deep umami.

You can use it as a filling for onigiri, serve it over warm rice, mix it into tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), or stir-fry it with vegetables like eggplant, green peppers, or potatoes.

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Ingredients

For the miso pork

• 150g ground pork

• 20g miso

• 20g sugar

• 1 Tbsp mirin

• 1 tsp ground ginger

For the onigiri

• 200g Cooked Japanese rice

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• Nori (seaweed)　optional

  
  

How to Make Nikumiso (Miso Pork)

1. Heat a pan and cook the ground pork until no longer pink.

2. Add miso, sugar, mirin, and ground ginger.

3. Cook until the mixture thickens and most of the moisture has evaporated.

   
   

How to Make Onigiri

1. Lightly season warm rice with a pinch of salt.

2. Place some rice in your hand and add the miso pork in the center.

3. Cover with more rice and gently shape into a ball.

4. Wrap with nori and serve.

   
   

Tips

• Don’t press too hard when shaping the rice

• Use freshly cooked warm rice

• The miso pork is also delicious served over rice or stir-fried with vegetables like eggplant

• You can store the miso pork in the refrigerator for up to 3 days