I am so excited, everyone! This is officially my 50th recipe on my food blog! Woot! Woot! I am having so much fun posting and I hope you are all enjoying the posts as well!
Growing up, I had very little connection to my mother’s Korean/Japanese side of the family. She wanted me to be “American” and would not let me try any Asian foods (except rice – rice is life). It wasn’t until I was in my 20’s that I really began to explore my Korean/Japanese heritage. I found that exploring my roots through food was where I felt most connected.
Tuna Onigiri is one of the recipes that I enjoy making. It’s not hard or overly complicated, and is perfect for a snack or easy to pack lunch. And if you can’t get that triangle shape, you can simply roll them into a ball which is Korean style (Jumeokbap) vs. Japanese style (Onigiri) – lol!
So let’s make some Tuna Onigiri!
How to Make Tuna Onigiri:
In a large bowl, mix the rice, sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt together.
In a small bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together. Mix well, breaking up the tuna.
Cut Nori sheet in half lengthwise, then cut horizontally into small strips to wrap around the bottom of your onigiri.
Wet your hands before assembling your onigiri. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Otherwise, you will have sticky rice hands and no onigiri – lol!
Using your hands, scoop about ⅓ cup of rice into your palm. Roll into a ball, then flatten it out.
Scoop 1 tsp. of the tuna mixture into the center of the rice. Push it down gently with your thumbs. Then carefully fold the sides up and over the tuna filling, shaping the rice into a triangle.
Place a strip of nori on your serving plate. Set your rice triangle in the middle of the nori and fold the sides of the nori up to stick to the rice. Repeat with the remaining rice and tuna. You should have approximately 6 triangles when you are done.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips:
Onigiri has the best taste and texture the same day you prepare it. If you are making it earlier in the day, you can wrap each one in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature until ready to eat.
If you refrigerate onigiri, the rice will harden. You can reheat it in the microwave to warm the rice and soften it.
Tuna Onigiri (Japanese Rice Triangles)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sushi rice cooked
- 1 tsp. Sesame oil
- 2 tsp. White and black sesame seeds
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 1 sheet Nori cut into 6 strips
Tuna filling:
- 1 can tuna
- 2 Tbsp. Kewpie mayonnaise or 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise with a ¼ tsp. Sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, mix the rice, sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt together.
- In a small bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper together. Mix well, breaking up the tuna.
- Cut Nori sheet in half lengthwise, then cut horizontally into small strips to wrap around the bottom of your onigiri.
- Wet your hands before assembling your onigiri. Otherwise, you will have sticky rice hands and no onigiri – lol!
- Using your hands, scoop about ⅓ cup of rice into your palm. Roll into a ball, then flatten it out.
- Scoop 1 tsp. of the tuna mixture into the center of the rice. Push it down gently with your thumbs. Then carefully fold the sides up and over the tuna filling, shaping the rice into a triangle.
- Place a strip of nori on your serving plate. Set your rice triangle in the middle of the nori and fold the sides of the nori up to stick to the rice. Repeat with the remaining rice and tuna. You should have approximately 6 triangles when you are done.
- Serve and enjoy!