Onigiri: the shape, the fillings, the grill

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Ricefreshly cooked, warmStep 5

2. 

   Hand stationbowl of water · kosher saltStep 5

3. 

   Classic fillings

   • salmon
   • okaka
   • tuna-mayo
   • umeboshi

   Step 6

4. 

   Loud fillings

   • spicy tuna-mayo
   • karaage
   • kimchi + cheese

   Step 6

5. 

   Marinated eggspeeled, in the soy marinadeStep 11

6. 

   Nori + furikake

   • nori in thirds
   • whole sheets
   • furikake

   Step 12

7. 

   Glazesoy · sesame oilStep 14

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

The bakudan eggs need a few hours to overnight in the marinade — start them the day before if you can. Keep the rice and the shaped onigiri covered with a damp towel so they don’t dry out.

Step by step

1. Rice

2. 

   1Cook the rice

   per your rice cooker~1 h incl. soaking

   For this step

   • Japanese short-grain rice450 g
   • Water (rice)600 ml (2½ cups)

   • Wash the rice, then soak it 20–30 minutes in the water.
   • Cook it (rice cooker or pot): 450 g raw makes about 990 g cooked — enough for 9 hand-shaped onigiri of ~110 g.
   • Plain rice — no vinegar, no sugar. The salt goes on your hands.

3. Fillings

4. 

   2Marinate the bakudan eggs (ahead)

   15 min + a few h

   For this step

   • Eggs4
   • Soy sauce (egg marinade)3 tbsp
   • Sake3 tbsp
   • Mirin2 tbsp
   • Sugar1 tbsp

   • Boil the eggs 7–8 minutes from the fridge, then straight into cold water and peel. Firmer than the 6-minute ramen egg, so they hold up to being pressed in rice.
   • Boil the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar for a minute and let it cool.
   • Eggs and marinade into a zip bag, fridge for a few hours to overnight. Save the marinade — it seasons the bakudan rice.

   

5. 

   3Classic fillings

   ~25 min

   For this step

   • Salmon fillet1–2 fillets
   • Kosher salt (salmon)to sprinkle both sides
   • Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)1 packet (3–5 g)
   • Soy sauce (okaka)1 tbsp
   • Canned tuna, drained1 can (140 g
   • Japanese mayo (Kewpie)2 tbsp
   • Soy sauce (tuna-mayo)½ tbsp
   • Umeboshi (pickled plums)2

   • While the rice cooks:
     • Salted salmon: salt both sides, broil or bake at 218 °C for 10–20 minutes until well done and flaky, then flake it
     • Okaka: katsuobushi moistened (not drenched) with the soy sauce
     • Tuna-mayo: drained tuna + mayo + soy sauce
     • Umeboshi: pits out, flesh on a plate

   

6. 

   4Loud fillings

   ~6 min

   For this step

   • Sriracha (spicy tuna-mayo)1–2 tsp
   • Karaage, leftover3–4 pieces
   • Kimchi, chopped and squeezed~60 g
   • Cheese (mozzarella or cheddar), small cubes~40 g

   • Same 1–2 tsp per onigiri:
     • Spicy tuna-mayo: half the tuna-mayo with sriracha stirred in (the roll’s spicy mayo works too)
     • Karaage: leftover karaage, cut into small pieces
     • Kimchi + cheese: chopped kimchi, squeezed dry, with a few cheese cubes

7. Shape by hand

8. 

   

   5Wet and salt your hands

   ~5 min

   For this step

   • Kosher salt (for your hands)a little for each onigiri

   • Let the rice cool just until you can hold it — it must still be warm to stick.
   • Wet both palms with a little water.
   • Dip 2–3 fingers in kosher salt and rub it over both palms (table salt: half as much).

   

9. 

   

   6Rice, filling, close

   1 min each

   • Scoop ~50 g warm rice onto your LEFT palm — the left hand always stays underneath.
   • Press a small well in the middle and put in 1–2 tsp of one filling.
   • Cover with another ~50 g of rice and press it gently round the filling into a ball.

   

10. 

    

    7Press the triangle

    ~1 min each

    • RIGHT hand on top, fingers together and bent into a roof — it makes the corner.
    • LEFT hand underneath in a “C” — fingers and heel gently flatten the two sides.
    • Press lightly, then roll the corner you just made towards you — a third of a turn.
    • Three corners, then 2–3 more rounds. Lay it on each face and press once to flatten.
    • Firm enough to hold together, but airy inside — don’t squeeze.

    

11. 

    8Or: through plastic wrap

    ~1 min each

    • Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and sprinkle in a little salt.
    • Rice in, a well, the filling, more rice on top, a little more salt.
    • Gather and twist the wrap shut, then press the same triangle through it. Good for lunchboxes — nobody’s hands touch the rice.

    

12. Shape with a mold

13. 

    

    9Fill the mold

    ~1 min each

    • Dip the mold and its lid in water, shake off the excess, and sprinkle salt inside.
    • Fill it halfway with warm rice, pushing it into the corners.
    • A spoonful of filling in the middle, then rice to the brim and a little salt on top.

    

14. 

    

    10Press and push out

    ~30 s each

    • Lid on and push down firmly — you should feel a slight resistance. No resistance? Add a little rice.
    • Lid off, flip the mold over the tray and push the button to pop the onigiri out.
    • Wet your fingers before touching it. A mold makes smaller, denser onigiri (~75 g each, 13 from the pot); a lighter push keeps them fluffier.

    

15. Bakudan

16. 

    

    11Bakudan — the bomb

    ~2 min each

    For this step

    • Nori3 sheets

    • Take the eggs out of the marinade and stir ¼ cup (60 ml) of it into ~600 g of the warm rice.
    • ~150 g of that rice in your left palm, a well in the middle, one whole egg in it.
    • Cover with more rice and shape it round, the egg in the centre.
    • Wrap it all over in a whole nori sheet — the black ball is the bomb.

    

17. Finish

18. 

    

    12Nori, furikake, a dab on top

    ~4 min

    For this step

    • Furikaketo coat (optional)

    • Wrap a third of a nori sheet round the bottom of each onigiri — right before eating for crisp nori, or now for soft nori that sticks.
    • Or skip the nori: coat the three faces in furikake with wet fingers.
    • A little of the filling on the tip tells you what’s inside. Eat warm or at room temperature, within about 6 hours.

    

19. Yaki onigiri

20. 

    13Yaki onigiri: grill

    medium-low~10 min

    • Press plain onigiri a bit firmer than usual so they don’t break in the pan.
    • Parchment in a frying pan, onigiri on it, medium-low heat.
    • Leave each side until crisp and lightly browned before turning (two spatulas) — handling them too early breaks them.

    

21. 

    14Yaki onigiri: glaze

    low~3 min

    For this step

    • Soy sauce (glaze)1 tbsp
    • Toasted sesame oil1 tsp

    • Heat to low. Brush one side with the soy sauce and sesame oil, turn it onto the pan, brush the other.
    • A minute more per side — the glaze burns fast.