If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Mehr Singh is a food and culture reporter based in New York. Her work appears in Bon Appétit, Food52, and ...

When you bite into a mentaiko onigiri (明太子おにぎり), you’ll see why this simple rice ball has become so popular in Japan. The pop and gentle heat of mentaiko (cod roe pickled in chili peppers) takes ...