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Onigiri (Rice Ball)

Onigiri

Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword Omusubi, Onigiri, Rice Ball
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For Tuna Salad Filling

  • 1 Can (142g) Tuna in Water
  • ¼ Cup (60g) Japanese Mayonnaise I used Kewpie Mayonnaise, but you can substitute another variety.
  • 3 TBSP (45g) Organic Miso Paste tan colored variety.

For the Onigiri

  • 3 Cups (525g) Japanese Short Grain or Medium Grain Rice Arborio can be used as a substitute
  • 4 Cups (450ml) Water
  • 2 sheets or more of Nori, cut into long strips.
  • Furikake Rice Seasoning to taste or sea salt. I used Shiso Fumi Furikake.
  • Optional Sesame Seeds for topping I used roasted black sesame seeds.

Instructions

Make the Rice

  1. Fill a medium sauce pot with 4 Cups (450ml) of water and bring it to a boil.
  2. Fill a large bowl with water and submerge the rice in it. With your hands, “knead” or “scrunch” the rice to polish it, releasing all of the starches.
    Polish the Rice
  3. Rinse and repeat this action 4 to 6 times until the water runs clear. This step takes a long time to finish, so I find polishing the rice at least 4 times acceptable before cooking.
  4. Strain the polished rice and put it into the pot of boiling water. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let the rice cook for 20 minutes or until airy and fluffy. Take it off the heat, and fluff it with a wooden spoon. If you don’t have a wooden spoon, a regular metal spoon with get the job done.

Make the Filling

  1. As the rice cooks, prepare your filling. Thoroughly squeeze the water out of your tuna and mix the tuna, miso paste, and mayonnaise together. You can add more or less depending on how you prefer the texture and flavor.
    Japanese Tuna Salad
  2. *For a vegan variety, you can use vegan mayonnaise mixed with cooked silken tofu and miso, or use cooked kombu instead.

Assemble the Onigiri

  1. Once your rice is cooked, let it cool down just enough to be able to handle. The cooler the rice becomes, the harder it is to stick it together. In a medium bowl, mix approximately a cup of rice with sea salt or furikake seasoning to taste. Mix it until just combined.

  2. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and place half of the seasoned rice into it.

  3. Using a spoon or another utensil, create a small grove in the rice and fill it with a teaspoon, but no more than a tablespoon of filling. Overfilling with make the onigiri harder to seal.

  4. Cover the filling with the remaining ½ cup of seasoned rice.

  5. Gather the edges of the plastic wrap and gently pack the rice ball together.

  6. Shape the rice ball into a rounded triangle by cupping your hands and fingers in a “V” shape, and molding the onigiri into the desired shape.

  7. Release the onigiri from the plastic wrap and garnish with sesame seeds. Rewrap the onigiri in the plastic wrap, and set aside.

  8. Repeat steps until you have made six to ten onigiri.

  9. If you plan to eat them immediately, cut nori into 1 ½ inch strips and fold them around the base of the onigiri. Don’t use the nori until ready to eat, or else the nori will get soggy.

  10. If you plan to eat them the next day for lunch (my favorite thing to do), keep the onigiri wrapped in plastic wrap and line them right side up in a large food storage container until ready to eat. They will stay fresher this way without drying out the rice. Keep them refrigerated. When ready to eat, wrap them in nori.

  11. Enjoy with a drizzle of soy sauce if you desire!

Recipe Notes

Notes:

  • If you have a rice cooker, you can use that instead as a foolproof way to cook your rice.
  • Onigiri is typically meant to be eaten the same day it’s made, but you can prepare them in advanced to eat over the work week.
  • The added salts and fermented miso paste will help the onigiri last longer, giving these a fantastic shelf life of up to four days.
  • “Refresh” or give your onigiri some savory life by grilling it and basting with up to a tablespoon of soy sauce.