Onigiri with Tuna

⏳ Time

1 hour 30 minutes

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Onigiri are Japanese rice balls filled with various ingredients. They are the perfect snack in every sense. First, they are filling: each serving contains a substantial amount of rice, which means plenty of carbohydrates. Second, they are portioned and convenient: onigiri can be taken on the go, to work, or packed for kids' lunches. They are easy to eat with your hands while on the move. Third, they take just a few minutes to prepare and require no special culinary skills—it's even simpler than making rolls, with no need for bamboo mats. In Japan, they are incredibly popular, and there are even specialty shops that sell only onigiri. There are no mandatory ingredients aside from rice. The filling can include chicken, meat, fish, or vegetables. You can use something specially prepared or leftovers from other dishes, like leftover omelets, salads, meat trimmings, and so on—making them a perfect example of the 'utilizzo' genre, which our editorial team really loves.

Ingredients

Sushi Rice - 15.9 oz
Water - 21 fl oz
Coarse Salt - to taste
Dried Nori Seaweed - 2 pieces
Canned cod liver - 7.1 oz
Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise - 1.8 oz
Soy Sauce - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Prepare the necessary ingredients.

Step 2

Rinse the rice thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear. Then, cover it with cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Then, drain it in a sieve and let it drain for 15 minutes. After that, pour fresh water over the rice in a heavy-bottomed pot, cover it with a lid, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once the water boils, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12–13 minutes or until the rice has completely absorbed the water.

Step 4

Remove the pot with the cooked rice from the heat and let it sit covered for another 10 minutes. Then, stir it gently with a wooden spoon and allow it to cool slightly. You should continue working with the rice while it's warm.

Step 5

For the filling, mash the tuna with a fork and mix it with mayonnaise.

Step 6

Wet your hands with water to prevent the rice from sticking. Then rub your hands with salt: dip three fingers into the salt shaker and distribute the salt evenly across both hands.

Step 7

Take a small ball of rice and make a small indentation in the center.

Step 8

Place the filling (it should be one-third the amount of rice) and fold the rice over it to completely cover the filling. Carefully shape the rice into a triangle.