Filled Onigiri

Japanese onigiri rice balls with simple tuna-mayo and salmon fillings wrapped in nori.

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Warm rice sticks best, while lightly wet and salted hands keep the grains from clinging to your fingers.

Ingredients

• 400 g Japanese short-grain rice
• 480 ml water
• 120 g canned tuna (drained)
• 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
• 120 g cooked salmon (flaked)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 3 nori sheets (cut into strips)
• 1 tsp fine salt (for hands)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear, then cook with the measured water using a rice cooker or covered saucepan.
2. Let the cooked rice rest covered for 10 minutes, then fluff gently. Keep it warm while shaping.
3. Mix the tuna with mayonnaise. Season the flaked salmon lightly with soy sauce.
4. Prepare a bowl of water and the salt. Wet your hands lightly and rub a small pinch of salt over your palms.
5. Place a scoop of warm rice in one palm, make a small well and add a teaspoon of filling. Cover with more rice.
6. Shape gently into a triangle or ball without squeezing so hard that the rice becomes dense.
7. Wrap with a strip of nori and repeat. Eat the same day for the best texture.