Onigiri

Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Hand-pressed seasoned Japanese rice filled with classic fillings and wrapped in crisp nori. The quintessential Japanese portable snack, easy to make at home with a few simple ingredients.

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (2⅔ cups (about 1 lb 2 oz)) short-grain Japanese rice, rinse until water runs clear; do not substitute with long-grain
• •600 ml (2½ cups) water, for cooking the rice
• •2 tsp fine sea salt, divided, plus more for sprinkling
• •3 sheets nori (dried seaweed), cut each sheet into 3 strips
• •3 whole umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums), pitted
• •120 g (4 oz) salmon fillet, skinless, boneless
• •30 g (2 tbsp) canned tuna in oil, for tuna mayo variation, optional
• •1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, for tuna mayo variation, optional
• •1 sheet kombu (dried kelp), optional, for flavoring the rice

Steps

1. 1 Rinse the rice in cold water 3 to 4 times, gently swirling and draining, until the water runs nearly clear. Drain well and let rest 15 minutes.
2. 2 Combine rice, 600 ml water, and kombu (if using) in a rice cooker or heavy pot. If using a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly, and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard kombu.
3. 3 While the rice cooks, prepare the salmon: place fillet in a small pan, cover with water, and simmer gently for 5 minutes until just opaque and flaky throughout. Drain, flake into small pieces, and discard any bones. Toss with a pinch of salt. For tuna mayo, simply mix the drained tuna with mayonnaise and a pinch of salt.
4. 4 Transfer the hot cooked rice to a wide bowl. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt evenly over the surface and fold gently with a cutting motion (do not mash) until the salt is distributed. Let the rice cool just until warm enough to handle, about 5 to 10 minutes.
5. 5 Lightly moisten your hands with water, then rub a pinch of salt onto both palms. Place about 80 g (about ⅓ cup) of warm rice in one hand and use your other hand to make a shallow well in the center.
6. 6 For umeboshi onigiri: place half a pitted umeboshi in the well. For salmon onigiri: place a spoonful of flaked salmon. For tuna mayo: place about 1 tbsp of the mixture.
7. 7 Cover the filling with a little more rice, then shape into a triangle using both hands, pressing gently but firmly so the grains hold together. Repeat with remaining rice and fillings (you should get 6 onigiri).
8. 8 Optional but recommended: wrap each onigiri loosely in plastic wrap and let rest 5 minutes so the surface firms up, which helps the nori stay crisp when served.
9. 9 Just before eating, wrap a strip of nori around the middle of each onigiri. Serve immediately for the best contrast of warm, soft rice and crisp seaweed.