Tuna Mayo Onigiri (Printable)

Classic Japanese rice balls with creamy tuna mayonnaise filling, ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Rice

01 - 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice
02 - 2½ cups water

→ Filling

03 - 1 can (5 oz) tuna in water, drained
04 - 3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie preferred)
05 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
06 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Assembly

07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - 6 small sheets nori, cut into strips

# How To Make It:

01 - Rinse the short-grain rice under cold running water, gently swirling with your hand, until the water runs nearly clear. Drain thoroughly.
02 - Combine the rinsed rice and 2½ cups water in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook according to manufacturer instructions. Once done, let the rice steam undisturbed for 10 minutes.
03 - While the rice rests, drain the canned tuna thoroughly. In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper. Fold together until creamy and evenly incorporated.
04 - Once the rice is warm but comfortable to handle, moisten both hands with water and rub a thin layer of salt across your palms to prevent sticking.
05 - Scoop roughly ½ cup of warm rice and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand. Place a generous spoonful of tuna mayo filling in the center, then fold the rice around it. Gently press and shape into a triangle or oval, applying firm but even pressure.
06 - Wrap a strip of nori around the base or center of each onigiri. Serve immediately or wrap tightly for transport.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • Once you nail the rice texture, everything else is effortless and deeply satisfying.
  • They travel beautifully, which means lunch is suddenly something worth looking forward to.
02 -
  • If the rice cools completely before you shape it, the grains will not stick together and your onigiri will fall apart in your hands.
  • Do not overfill or the tuna mayo will squeeze out the sides during shaping, which is both messy and heartbreaking.
03 -
  • Use a sheet of plastic wrap pressed into a small bowl as a mold if shaping with bare hands feels intimidating at first.
  • The rice should be warm but not hot when you shape it because hot rice will burn your palms and cold rice will not bond.

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