Indianigiri (Japanese Onigiri with 2 Curry Fillings)

So I made this yesterday for dinner. I was out of potatoes, but no matter, I just
subbed in a can of channa (chickpeas)!

Beloved cookbook from whence my recipe came. I picked it up on super-sale
in my college bookstore and it's been true love ever since. The tome of tandoor!
The Bible of butter fry! Be still my heart! :o)

Mise en place: cumin seed, dried red chilies, ginger-garlic paste

The finished product

As you can see, this recipe makes a healthy amount when you're cooking for one. I had my Chana Gobi for dinner last night and again at lunch today, but even with help from a couple of friends we still couldn't finish it. I was planning on making onigiri with spicy curry tuna filling for supper tonight, and decided I'd do a little Japanese-Indian fusion while I was at it and use the rest of my Chana Gobi for a second filling option...

Here is JustHungry's phenomenal onigiri tutorial, which I have used ever since the very first time I tried making them. Traditionally onigiri are made with wetted hands (which = very hot and sore red palms by the end from the just-cooked rice), but this method, using a plastic wrap-lined bowl as a mold, is much easier and far less painful.

Filling option one: ahi tuna, seared and then cooked through in a touch of sesame oil,
mashed up with a bit of mayonnaise, curry powder, salt, and cayenne. YUM.

Filling option two: mashed leftover Chana Gobi + some little slivers of
hardboiled egg + a dab of hot Indian pickle (not pictured) = nirvana.

Perfect Japanese rice (well, as perfect as my shiksa/gringa self can make it).
I added a little touch of seasoned rice wine vinegar after cooking -- totally optional.

Ume plums, aka Japanese pickled plums. They are sweet and
sour and all kinds of awesome. Careful with the pits, though!

Sneaky molding shortcut: line a small bowl with plastic wrap, wet the wrap and
shake out the excess, sprinkle with salt, and plop in about 1/2 cup of your rice
(or more if you want bigger onigiri).

Make a little dent with your finger and add filling. Here I've used
spicy curry tuna and half an umeboshi plum -- best combo ever,
in my humble opinion, sweet and salty and spicy all at once.

I can't wait to have kids so I can play with their food too. Anyway, here's the finished
product: you wrap a nori strip around the sticky rice for ease in eating. I enjoyed
the very last of my Chana Gobi with these onigiri.

Inside of the Indian-inspired one, NOM. I only made one in case it was gross/weird,
but it absolutely wasn't. Next time I have leftover Indian I am totally making more.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, these are best eaten when the rice is fresh, but if you want to have them for lunch the next day (like me) leave them wrapped up in the plastic wrap and refrigerate. Pop them in the microwave at lunchtime until just warm, take off the plastic wrap, and put on your nori, and voila! Fresh, tasty onigiri. Droool.