Tuna Mayo Onigiri (Print Version)
Classic Japanese rice balls with creamy tuna mayonnaise filling, ideal for portable lunches and snacks.
# What You Need:
→ Rice
01 - 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
02 - 2 1/2 cups water
→ Filling
03 - 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained
04 - 3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise (e.g., Kewpie)
05 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
→ Assembly
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 6 small sheets nori (seaweed), cut into strips
# How to Make It:
01 - Rinse the rice several times under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.
02 - Cook rice with 2 1/2 cups water using a rice cooker or on the stove according to package instructions. Once cooked, let rest for 10 minutes.
03 - In a mixing bowl, combine the drained tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir until creamy and well incorporated.
04 - While the rice is still warm but cool enough to handle, wet your hands with water and rub a little salt onto your palms to prevent sticking.
05 - Take about 1/2 cup of rice and flatten it into a round disc in your palm. Place a spoonful of tuna mayo filling in the center, then gently fold the rice over the filling. Seal and shape into a triangle or oval. Repeat with remaining rice and filling.
06 - Wrap a strip of nori around each onigiri. Serve immediately or pack for later.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The creamy salty tuna filling against slightly sweet warm rice is the kind of contrast that makes you close your eyes on the first bite.
- Shaping onigiri by hand is surprisingly meditative and requires zero special equipment beyond your palms.
- They hold together beautifully in a lunchbox and taste just as good at room temperature three hours later.
02 -
- Do not skip the resting time after cooking because rice that is too hot will burn your hands and rice that is too cold will refuse to bond into a solid shape.
- Keep a damp towel nearby because sticky fingers make shaping miserable and a quick wipe between each onigiri keeps the process smooth and fast.
03 -
- Wet your hands just enough that they glisten but are not dripping because too much water makes the rice surface slippery and the triangle will not hold its edges.
- Use Kewpie mayonnaise if you can find it because the richer yolk content and tang of rice vinegar transform the filling from basic to genuinely addictive.