Bacon Almond Onigiri / Musubi

An unexpected and very tasty combo: bacon and almonds! This Bacon Almond Onigiri / Musubi recipe is inspired by the Mana Musubi cookbook (called The Musubi Book). It's easy to make and the mix of crunchy salted almonds and good bacon with rice is woooowww ^_^

I love bacon. I love roasted almonds, especially when salted.

But until today, I never thought of combining bacon and almonds to make onigiri / musubi!

It's such a simple musubi. And the addition of just one more ingredient makes this extra delicious. Black pepper! Yes, just a little black pepper brings this all together. Might be your new favorite musubi ^_^

The Musubi Book

The owner of a popular musubi shop in Honolulu called Mana Musubi published The Musubi Book back in 2018.

You can buy the book at the musubi shop, or order online. It's a great book! Part musubi guide/info and part recipe cookbook.

I'm slowly cooking my way through all his recipes. We started with Tuna Mayo Musubi, then Kombu Musubi, and today...Bacon Almond Musubi ^_^

Basic Musubi vs Mixed Rice Musubi

Note: Tuna Mayo Musubi is considered a basic / traditional musubi (because the filling ingredients are tucked in the middle) and you need to wrap it with nori before eating.

Kombu Musubi and Bacon Almond Musubi is considered mixed rice musubi (because the filling ingredients are mixed directly with the rice), and you do not need to wrap it with nori.

Onigiri Mold

The only "special" equipment you need to make onigiri / musubi is a mold. You can buy them easily online or at most Japanese markets.

I purchased the above mold from Nijiya (the Ala Moana location). It came with a regular size mold and a mini mold. I use the mini mold in today's pictures...so tiny, so cute!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

• Freshly cooked Japanese short grain rice, still warm - I usually buy rice from The Rice Factory or at the local Japanese supermarkets like Nijiya or Marukai.
• Bacon - Good quality bacon makes a difference for this recipe!
• Roasted, salted almonds - If you have roasted but unsalted almonds at home, just use that. After you chop the almonds, toss it with a teaspoon of sea salt.
• Black pepper
• Sea Salt

Instructions

Let's get cooking!

Chop the almonds.
Finely chop the almonds and set aside.

Cook the bacon.
For musubi making, I like to cook bacon in a microwave (when I eat bacon with eggs and rice, I like it more crisp and will cook in the air fryer or toaster oven).

To cook bacon in the microwave: place a paper towel on a large plate. Place the strips of bacon on top of the paper towel. Cover with another paper towel. Microwave for 3-4 minutes.

Remove and let the bacon cool briefly. Then cut into small pieces and set aside.

Prepare the rice.
If the rice is still in the rice cooker, fluff the rice and then use a rice paddle to move all the rice into a large bowl.

Add ingredients and mix.
Add the bacon, almonds, and black pepper to the bowl with the rice. Use the rice paddle to gently mix until everything is evenly combined.

Prep the onigiri mold.
Wash the onigiri mold and place it on a large plate (or cutting board).

Lightly wet the onigiri mold with a splash of water. Shake out any excess water.

Then sprinkle a little sea salt inside the onigiri mold. To make this step easier, I spoon some sea salt into a small dish and keep that on the side. Just pinch and sprinkle.

Fill the onigiri mold full with the rice.
Gently pat the in the rice with a rice paddle. Never ever smash the rice.

Seal.
Use the top/lid of the mold to gently press down and "seal" the onigiri.

Flip and remove.
Then flip the mold over and lightly press the back of the mold to "pop" the onigiri out of the mold. Place the completed onigiri onto another plate.

Repeat and eat.
Then repeat steps 6-9 until you use all the rice. You should have about 6 onigiri pieces (or 12 mini onigiri pieces).

Eat warm and fresh. Enjoy! ^_^

FAQ / Useful Tips

Bacon Almond Onigiri / Musubi Recipe