Tuna Mayo Onigiri Japanese Style (Printable View)
Classic Japanese rice balls with creamy tuna mayonnaise filling, wrapped in nori seaweed for easy snacking.
# 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 (such as Kewpie)
05 - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
06 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
→ Assembly
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - 6 small sheets nori, cut into strips
# Cooking Steps:
01 - Rinse the rice under cold running water several times, agitating gently with your hands, until the water runs clear. Drain thoroughly.
02 - Combine the rinsed rice with 2½ cups of water in a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot. Cook according to the rice cooker instructions or bring to a boil on the stove, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Once cooked, let the rice rest covered for 10 minutes.
03 - While the rice rests, combine the drained tuna, Japanese mayonnaise, soy sauce, and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir until the mixture is creamy and evenly combined.
04 - Once the rice is warm but cool enough to handle comfortably, wet your hands lightly with water and rub a pinch of salt onto your palms. This prevents the rice from sticking and lightly seasons the exterior.
05 - Scoop approximately ½ cup of warm rice and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand. Place a generous spoonful of the tuna mayo filling in the center, then gently fold the rice over the filling. Cup your hands to shape the onigiri into a triangle or oval, pressing firmly enough to hold together without compacting the rice. Repeat with the remaining rice and filling.
06 - Wrap a strip of nori around the base or center of each onigiri. Serve immediately or wrap tightly for packing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The filling comes together in two minutes and tastes like something from a Japanese bakery case, not your own kitchen.
- Once you nail the shaping technique, you will make these for every road trip, picnic, and lazy lunch from here on.
02 -
- Working with rice that is too hot will burn your palms, but rice that has cooled completely will not stick, so aim for that warm but tolerable window.
- Draining the tuna thoroughly is critical because excess liquid turns the filling soupy and weakens the rice structure from inside.
03 -
- Press the triangle shape gently along the edges rather than the flat faces, which gives you clean lines without compacting the center.
- Use Kewpie if you can find it because the difference in flavor is genuinely noticeable and worth the search.