Onigiri Rice Balls | Recipe

rice + shine

good morning!

One of the best on-the-go snacks you can find in Asia are onigiri at convenience stores like 7-11— yes, 7-11!

When we first tried them in Taiwan with our family, we were obsessed, there are so many varieties of fillings— salmon, tuna, pickled plum, bulgogi, the options are endless. My cousins were confused why we kept going back to eat, but they didn’t know how lucky they were to have such delicious, convenient and affordable snacks at every corner! 

While we can’t find onigiri as easily here, they are easy to make at home with a little time— all you need is rice, your favorite fillings, + furikake seasoning— which is so good on everything. Then you can start rolling them out for now or wrap them in plastic wrap for later.

We love trying tons of food when we travel, but sometimes our favorite things are just casual grab and go food!

What’s in it

• 2 cups short grain sushi rice

• 2 cups water

• furikake

• salt

• water

• splash of soy sauce

• 1.5 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise or more

• sriracha (optional) to make spicy mayo

• seaweed sheets cut into thirds

• choice of filling:

  • drained can of tuna / salmon

  • cooked salmon as desired and broken up into flakes - we just use salt, pepper and some oil, then air fry until crispy

  • spam

  • bulgogi

  • pickled plum

  • rou song (pork floss)

How to do it

time to rice + shine. 🍚☀️

1. Cook the rice in an electric rice cooker or stove top.

2. Prepare desired filling.

3. Let the rice cool slightly until ready.

4. Wet your hands with water and add a touch of salt rubbing hands together— this will prevent the rice from sticking to your hands and also season the onigiri as you roll it. You can use plastic wrap instead of this method if you don’t want to salt your hands.

5. Grab a small handful of rice and spread flat, add in a spoonful of filling— not too much, so you don’t overstuff the onigiri. Add a smaller handful of rice to cover the filling and mold into a triangle shape.

6. Dip in furikake as desired along the edges + add a piece of seaweed along the bottom and bring to the other side.

7. Eat immediately or wrap in plastic wrap for later.

8. Videos here on how to fold it!