7-Eleven recently launched its house brand onigiris (traditional Japanese rice balls wrapped with seaweed and stuffed with various fillings).
Traditionally, onigiris are stuffed with tuna mayo, salted salmon, just to name a few. However, 7-Eleven adds a local twist by introducing the Nasi Lemak Onigiri ($2.50) and Sambal Chili Shrimp Onigiri ($2.50).
Frankly, I was pretty disappointed with the quality of these onigiris — a good onigiri should have evenly cooked rice that holds well together and crispy seaweed that breaks apart when you bite into it.
These onigiris were pretty much the opposite; the rice was undercooked yet mushy, and the seaweed was chewy and difficult to bite through.
If I had to select which flavour tasted better, it would be the Sambal Chilli Shrimp. The sambal is really spicy and leaves your mouth tingling long after you eat it. The blue rice was fragrant but unevenly cooked, again hard on the inside and mushy on the outside.
The onigiri was gooey in my mouth and frankly, it was less than appetising. Coupled with the sambal tasting slightly weird when eaten chilled… not the greatest combination.
The Nasi Lemak Onigiri was packed with chunks of sambal, egg, peanuts and anchovies, but the ingredients tasted like they had been kept in a fridge for too long.
I’m sorry to say that this twist was sadly a bit of a flop and you are definitely better off using the same money to buy an actual packet of nasi lemak. If you’re curious though, do try one and let us know what you think.
7-Eleven, you still have my heart, but please, no more weird onigiris!
Expected damage: $2.50 per onigiri
