prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups cooked short-grain (sushi) rice
-1 can tuna, drained
-1 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise
-1 tsp sriracha hot sauce
-1/2 tsp rice vinegar (or vinegar)
-1 scallion, green part only, finely sliced
-toasted black sesame seeds, for sprinkling (optional)
-3 sheets of toasted nori, cut crosswise in half
other fillings:
-teriyaki beef
-kimchi
-spicy chicken or shrimp
-curry veggies or meats
Directions:
-Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, hot sauce and vinegar and mix with a fork until evenly combined. Stir in scallions.
-Assemble: Set aside a medium bowl of room temperature water and a small bowl of kosher salt for pinching. Once the sushi rice is cool enough to handle, start assembling the onigiri by hand.
-Lightly moisten your hands by dipping them in the water bowl (this will help prevent the rice from sticking to your hands during shaping). Sprinkle both of your palms lightly with kosher salt and rub them together. Grab roughly a 1/2 cup of sushi rice and gently press into a thick, oblong shape in one palm of your hand. Add a tablespoon of the tuna filling, pinched together with your fingertips, to the center of the rice and close the rice over the filling. (if necessary, use an additional pinch or two of rice to cover the filling).
-Gently shape the rice ball into a wide triangular shape using the palms of one hand and the fingers of your hand, rotating the rice ball as you go. Avoid compressing the rice too hard. It should hold together well but be lightly packed. Sprinkle the outside of the onigiri with black sesame seeds. Wrap each onigiri in a nori sheet and place an additional small spoonful of tuna filling on the top of each onigiri. Serve immediately and enjoy.