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Easy Japanese Onigiri Tuna Recipe for Simple, Packable Lunches
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Easy Japanese Onigiri Tuna Recipe for Simple, Packable Lunches

A beginner-friendly take on Japanese onigiri: tender short-grain rice wrapped around a creamy tuna-mayonnaise filling and finished with nori. These handheld rice balls are practical for a simple lunch.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups Japanese short-grain rice about 300 g, such as sushi rice
  • 1 3/4 cups water 414 ml, plus more for rinsing
  • 1 5-ounce/142 g can tuna packed in water, drained well
  • 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise 30 ml
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce 5 ml
  • 1 tablespoon finely sliced scallion about 1 small scallion/10 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt about 3 g, plus a little more for your hands
  • 3 nori sheets about 8 g, cut in half
  • Toasted sesame seeds optional, for garnish

Instructions

  • Place the rice in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Gently swish the grains with your hand, then drain. Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water is less cloudy. Drain the rice well.
  • Transfer the rinsed rice to a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the measured water and let the rice soak for 15 minutes. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, immediately cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid while it cooks.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a rice paddle or fork, then spread the rice in a wide bowl. Let it cool just until comfortable enough to handle; it should still be warm and sticky.
  • While the rice rests, stir together the drained tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and scallion in a small bowl. The filling should be creamy but not wet.
  • Set out a small bowl of water. Wet your hands, then rub a small pinch of salt between your palms. Scoop about 3/4 cup of warm rice into one hand and make a shallow indentation in the center. Add about 2 teaspoons of tuna filling.
  • Bring the rice up and around the filling, adding a little more rice if needed to completely enclose it. Gently press and rotate the rice between your palms to make a rounded triangle or ball. Press firmly enough for it to hold together, but do not squeeze the rice hard. Repeat with the remaining rice and filling, wetting and salting your hands as needed.
  • Wrap each rice ball with a half sheet of nori just before serving or packing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Serve promptly, or chill and pack with an ice pack.