Spicy Tuna Mayo Onigiri Recipe

My Spicy Tuna Mayo Onigiri! <3

For all the years in which I was a poor university student, I had never crossed my mind to make onigiri. I mean, it's literally a rice ball with a stuffing of your choice in the middle of it - cheap, affordable, easy to make and filling! This should be every broke student's dream food! Not to mention, it is healthier than the cheap packets of instant noodles or McBurgers. 

We hadn't had much food as we had neglected grocery shopping for a while now, so when I was foraging for food inside our fridge and pantry, all we had left was rice, pasta and tinned tuna FML T_T

I think it was out of sheer desperation and hunger (Okay, I am just exaggerating here) that I had an epiphany -What can I make out of rice and tuna and for it to look somewhat appetising? Why, onigiri of course! 

Just Bento has a great guide explaining what onigiri is, so I'll let them do most of the explaining.

I decided to do most of the experimenting instead of following a set recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of Rice (sushi rice or any other short-grained rice)

2 cups of water (for cooking rice)

Spicy Tuna Mayo (click for recipe)

5 tsp Rice wine vinegar (optional)

Nori (optional)

Salt (optional)

Method:

1. You can start off preparing the tuna stuffing ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for not more than a day, or alternatively, use a stuffing of your choice.

2. Prep rice as per instructed on the packaging. (I made mine the lazy way as I do not own a rice cooker. Washed rice a couple of times, poured in water, and popped it in the microwave for 15 minutes).

3. Once the rice is cooked, add in shredded nori and/or rice vinegar (optionally, some people said to use salt, but I didn't as the tuna mayo was quite salty on its own).

Hot, sticky sushi rice and shredded nori

4. Here comes the fun part! Shaping the onigiri! Make sure the rice is nice and hot as the heat makes it easier to shape. Everyone has their own way of shaping it and I found it sooooo much easier to cheat by using clingwrap! I don't like rice sticking all over my hands, especially when it's hot! I remembered this method I tried donkey years ago.

Here's a step-by-step photo guide using clingwrap.

Place a 2 tablespoon worth (an estimation) and flatten it on the clingwrap.

In the middle, place stuffing on top of the rice

Slowly grab each corner of the clingwrap and ensuring that the stuffing stays in the middle, wrap it up so it forms a ball. Then, tighten the clingwrap by twisting the excess bits and mould the desired shape. The easiest is obviously a ball. 

5. Serve whilst fresh and hot!

Note: I also practiced making triangular-shaped ones whilst using the clingwrap method as I need not worry about it breaking up and falling everywhere! Great for beginners like me!

End result:

This one was the first batch I practiced with arborio rice. Though it held together initially, it fell apart upon consumption. Arborio rice is a big no-no.

My first attempt in making triangular onigiri.

Well, hopefully one day I'll master onigiri! :)