Tuna Mayo Onigiri: The 15-Min "Sea Chicken" Rice Ball Made Simple

What if I told you Japan's most popular convenience store food takes just 15 minutes to make at home? In this video I'll show you how this simple creation became a cultural phenomenon and how to make it perfectly every time. For a printable version of this recipe visit my website just google tuna mayo onigiri space study to find me. Let's start with our tuna filling. Take 80 grams of canned tuna in oil and place it in a colander or sieve over a bowl. Now go ahead and squeeze out the excess liquid as thoroughly as possible. This step is absolutely crucial. We need to get rid of as much moisture as possible or our onigiri will turn into a sad soggy mess and nobody wants to. Now transfer it to a bowl and mix in one tablespoon of Japanese mayonnaise. Add one teaspoon of soy sauce and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Mix it all together and you've got yourself a creamy flavorful filling. Next I have about 700 grams of cooked Japanese rice. That's about two Japanese rice cups before cooking. I'm going to shape the first one by hand so begin by dipping your hands in a bowl of cold water. This will stop the rice from sticking. Next rub your palms with a bit of salt. This adds flavor and also helps preserve the rice if you're not planning on eating it straight away. Grab a handful of rice about 100 to 120 grams worth. Press it on your palm and make a dent in the center for the filling. I'm adding about two teaspoons worth of tuna mayo in here. Be careful not to add too much or it will become too difficult to shape. Once all the filling is in, fold the rice over to enclose the filling in the rice. Then press and turn to shape it into a rounded triangle. This is a classic onigiri shape but you could make it round or circular if you prefer. Tuna mayo onigiri has quite the origin story. The whole thing started when a 7-Eleven developer noticed his son absolutely devouring tuna mixed with mayo and had the light bulb moment of what if we wrapped that in rice. Sometimes the simplest ideas are pure genius aren't they? For the final touch wrap each onigiri with a strip of nori seaweed. Not only does this make them easier to hold without getting sticky fingers but it also adds this wonderful crunch and that delicious savory sea flavor that perfectly complements our tuna filling. If you're not a fan of handling sticky rice you can use plastic wrap to shape instead. Start by laying the plastic wrap on a flat surface and sprinkle it with a bit of salt. Place your rice in the center then use your rice bottle or the back of teaspoon to make a dent in the middle just like how we do if we're shaping by hand. Add the filling. This time I'm making a flavor variation by adding a small blob of wasabi. This adds some heat and goes perfectly with both the tuna and mayo. Okay now we're gonna shape it. So take two opposite edges of the plastic wrap and pull them up to meet in the middle to close the rice balls. Then wrap and shape as you would usually. This method is especially great if you want to put it in the freezer for another day. If you're eating it straight away then you can go ahead and add the nori however if you're putting it away for later it's better to leave the nori off until right before serving so it maintains its crisp texture. If you're looking for uniformity a rice ball mold is the way to go. Fill it halfway up with rice and just like before make a little dent in the center to hold the filling. This time I'm adding a sprinkle of chili powder before adding the rest of the rice. If you're feeling adventurous you could add a pinch of shichimi togarashi chili sauce or even a touch of curry powder for something different. And for an extra umami bomb try adding a tiny pinch of dashi granules. It's your onigiri make it your way. Sprinkle it with a bit of salt push the lid on to compress the rice then pop it out of the mold and that's it. Perfectly shaped every time. Wrap it with nori and there you have it beautiful tuna mayo onigiri. They're best enjoyed fresh when the nori is still crisp and the rice is at the perfect temperature. Want even more delicious recipes? Grab my free cookbook from the link in the description. Okay let's go over the ingredients one more time and if you're ready to cook grab the written instructions by clicking the full recipe box with a picture that's about to pop up on your screen. There you go the link to the full recipe is on the screen for you now and if you want to watch more similar videos don't miss my rice ball playlist popping up on your screen as well. Thanks so much for watching and I hope to see you in the next one. Bye!