The rice must be warm when you shape. Cold rice breaks. Hot rice burns your hands and gets sticky. The window is about 10-15 minutes after cooking.
What You Need
- 3 cups short-grain Japanese rice, cooked and kept warm
- 1 tsp salt (for your hands)
- 8 strips nori (each roughly 3cm × 15cm)
- A small bowl of water
Choose your fillings (about 1 tbsp per onigiri):
- Sake (salmon): cooked salmon, skin removed, flaked and seasoned
- Tuna mayo: canned tuna + Japanese mayonnaise (Kewpie) + pinch of soy sauce
- Umeboshi: 1 umeboshi plum, pit removed, per onigiri
- Tarako: salted pollock roe, small spoonful
- Shio kombu: salt-pickled kelp strips — no preparation needed
- Okaka: katsuobushi (bonito flakes) + soy sauce, mixed
How to Make It
Wet and salt your hands: Dip hands in water, then rub with a little salt. This prevents sticking and adds seasoning.
Take a portion: Scoop about ½ cup warm rice into one palm. Flatten gently into a rough round.
Add filling: Place about 1 tbsp filling in the center. Fold rice over it.
Shape the triangle: Cup both hands in a V-shape around the rice. Apply gentle, even pressure while rotating the ball. Press with the palm of one hand to create a flat face, two other faces form naturally. Repeat until you have a triangle with three flat faces and defined edges. It should hold its shape without falling apart — but NOT be compressed into a hard ball.
Wrap with nori: Wrap a nori strip around the base, or wrap the full bottom and press to adhere. For konbini-style onigiri, wrap entirely in nori.
Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap for up to 4 hours. The nori will soften over time — which some people prefer.
From our Tokyo Meets Tuscany collection.