Tuna Mayo Onigiri (Print Version)
Classic Japanese rice balls stuffed with creamy tuna mayonnaise filling, ideal for portable lunches and bento boxes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Rice
01 - 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
02 - 2½ cups water
→ Filling
03 - 1 can (5 oz/140 g) tuna in water, drained
04 - 3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie preferred)
05 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
06 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
→ Assembly
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - 6 small sheets nori, cut into strips
# Steps:
01 - Rinse the rice several times under cold running water until the runoff becomes completely clear. Drain thoroughly to remove excess starch.
02 - Combine the rinsed rice with 2½ cups of water in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook according to the rice cooker instructions or bring to a boil on the stove, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let the rice rest covered for 10 minutes.
03 - While the rice rests, combine the drained tuna, Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir until the mixture is creamy and all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
04 - Once the rice is warm but cool enough to handle comfortably, wet your hands with water and rub a thin layer of salt across your palms. This prevents sticking and lightly seasons the exterior.
05 - Scoop approximately ½ cup of warm rice and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand. Place a spoonful of the tuna mayo filling in the center, then gently fold the rice around it, sealing the edges and shaping into a triangle or oval.
06 - Wrap a strip of nori around the base of each onigiri. Serve immediately or wrap tightly for portable snacking. Repeat with the remaining rice and filling to make 6 onigiri total.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These rice balls come together in under 40 minutes and taste like something from a specialty shop with almost zero effort.
- The creamy tuna filling against slightly salted rice is that perfect balance of rich and clean that keeps you reaching for another one.
02 -
- Working with rice that has cooled too much makes shaping nearly impossible because it loses its stickiness, so keep it covered with a damp towel while you work.
- Adding a small bowl of water and a pinch of salt next to your workstation saves you from sticky fingerprints on every surface in your kitchen.
03 -
- If shaping with bare hands feels awkward, line a piece of plastic wrap with rice and filling, then twist the corners to form the triangle, which gives you more control and less mess.
- Double the filling recipe and keep the extra in the fridge for up to three days because it is incredible spread on toast or stirred into cold noodles.