Tuna Mayo Onigiri
The undisputed most popular convenience store rice ball flavor in Japan. Warm, salted rice is stuffed with a rich, creamy, savory filling of canned tuna mixed with Japanese mayonnaise and soy sauce, then wrapped in crisp seaweed.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Hot freshly cooked short-grain white rice
- 1/2 can Tuna drained very well
- 2 tbsp Japanese Mayonnaise Kewpie
- 1/2 tsp Soy sauce
- 1 pinch Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Salt for your hands
- 2 sheets Nori seaweed cut into thick strips
Instructions
- Prepare the Filling: Open the canned tuna and drain all the water or oil entirely. Place the dry tuna in a small bowl. Add the Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper. Use a fork to mix and mash the tuna until it forms a thick, rich, and creamy paste.
- Wet and Salt Hands: The rice must be shaped while steaming hot. Thoroughly wet your hands with cold water to prevent sticking. Rub a generous pinch of salt evenly over your wet palms (this seasons the rice and acts as a natural preservative).
- Shape the Base: Take a handful (about 1/2 cup) of the hot rice and place it in the palm of one hand. Use your thumb to press a deep, wide indentation directly into the center of the rice.
- Stuff and Mold: Place a heaping spoonful of the creamy tuna mayo filling into the indentation. Gently fold the rice over to completely enclose the filling. Cup your hands into a firm ‘V’ shape and press the rice gently but firmly, rotating it several times, to mold it into a thick, neat triangle.
- Wrap and Serve: Take a crisp strip of Nori seaweed and fold it around the base or wrap the entire triangle of the rice ball. Eat immediately while the rice is soft and the seaweed is shatteringly crisp.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!