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Onigiri Recipe (Japanese Rice Balls)

Japanese Onigiri rice balls are an excellent option to make rice more portable for those who travel. This recipe shows you how simple it can be to cook onigiri in your kitchen using many different fillings.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 39 minutes
Course lunch, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine asian, Japanese
Calories 415 kcal

Ingredients
  

TUNA FILLING

  • 5 1 oz (141.7 grams) canned tuna
  • 2 Tbsp Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce

SALMON FILLING

  • 7 Oz filet of salmon
  • 2 teaspoon salt

OKAKU FILLING

  • 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp black sesame seeds
  • 5 g bonito flakes

UME (PICKLED PLUM) FILLING

  • 6 oz ume (pickled plum)

FURIKAKE FILLING

  • 6 TSP furikake

WRAPPING

  • nori optional
  • Shiso leaves can be used as an option

Instructions
 

ONIGIRI PREPARATION

  • When you have cooked the rice for short grains, sprinkle a half a teaspoon of salt and blend. Test the rice and adjust it if you need more spice. Be aware that you'll adding filling to the rice, so do not want to salt too much the rice.
  • Filling for tuna:In the bowl of a smaller size add canned tuna, Kewpie Japanese mayo, and soy sauce, and mix together. I mix approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of tuna filling in my onigiri.
  • Filling with salmon: Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry your filet, then sprinkle plenty of salt over the fish. The salmon is marinated for 1 hour. Cook the fish for about 15 minutes and then broil it for another five minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the fish to ensure it doesn't get blackened. When the fish is cooked with a fork, flake the fish into tiny pieces. I put about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salmon filling to one onigiri.
  • Ume plum pickled: Use your fingers to gently squeeze the seeds inside a plum that has been picked. I will use between one and two plums in each onigiri.
  • Okaka filling You may use store purchased bonito flakes, and mix a five-gram packet with half a spoon of sauce made from soy in an empty bowl. This will leave bonito flakes wet but not so wet. I prefer mixing half a tablespoon of Okaka filling with 1 cup of rice and then add some black sesame seeds to create one onigiri.
  • Furikake FillingAdd up to two or three tablespoons furikake mix to 1 cup of cooked rice. mix it in a bowl using the help of a spoon. This will make one onigiri.
  • Combu Tsukudani FillingAdd two tablespoons of kombu to a 1/2 cup rice and mix with an utensil. This will make one onigiri.

FORMING ONIGIRI

  • For onigiri that have fillings inside using the onigiri molds make sure to add approximately one cup of rice into the mold for onigiri, then add the filling that you like and finish with a quarter cups of rice. Be sure to fill the rice towards the edges in the mould. Use the top to press it down to create the shape. Then, turn the mold around then press release to allow the onigiri to be released.
  • To make onigiri using rice and fillings mingled together: Pour the rice mixture to the mold for onigiri and make sure that it is filled to the edges inside the mould. Then, take the top and press it down to create the shape. Flip the mold upside down then press release to allow the onigiri to be released.
  • Then wrap your onigiri in nori. I like cutting rectangles from nori, and then place them on top in the middle of an onigiri. It is also possible to use shiso leaves to embellish the onigiri using the leaf to the top side, then folding it over the lower part of the onigiri. The rice should adhere to the leaf quickly.
  • In addition, you can make additional toppings and sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice balls.
  • Eat them as fast as you can since they're intended to be eaten on immediately after you prepare them.
Keyword Japanese Rice Balls, Onigiri Recipe