Onigiri snacks

Buying convenience store onigiri is my go to when I am in a rush driving home and Little Pi is hungry. The biggest problem with it though, it that it breaks apart and his car seat and surrounding areas get covered in rice and salmon.

The other day, I saw a mum with tiny little rice balls, which are just perfect for small hands.

Turns out, you can get a cute little device for making these tiny balls at 100yen shops. I bought mine at Seria (108yen including tax).

Its a cute little holder that makes cute little bite sized balls. 

Just snap the top of, put some rice in and shake!

The bottom picture, with the more oval shaped ball was done over-filling the hole. The other, more rounded balls were done by just filling it up to the top of the green container. 

Then, all that is left to do is add a little 'furikake' (savory sprinkles). Pi loves the dried plum one on the left. There is also an Anpanman vegetable one,  sesame one, and a salmon one pictured; but they come in a range of flavours that can be bought at any supermarket. 

If you are looking for a cheaper option though, you can put a little bit of rice in a small container like the one pictured below, and shake. They don't turn out in perfect little balls, but almost as good. 

I didn't mind paying the 100yen though as the end result is cute, and Pi can shake it to help. I did try to make some little fried rice balls, but the oily wetness of the fried rice meant that they didn't stay in little ball shape for long. The little balls are not just great for a snack, but if the rice is in bite-sized ball when serving up with dinner at night, Pi is less likely to turn into the rice Yeti that he usually does.