Can I make rice balls using other types of rice?

The only other type of rice that works to make onigiri is Japanese short grain brown rice . I like to mix 50/50 white rice and brown rice whenever I'm looking to make them a little healthier.

Can I use flavored nori sheets?

I have never tried making onigiri using flavored nori sheets but I think they would be a problem because of their super crispy texture, which would break when folding. If you would like to try, I recommend resting the nori sheets on the rice for a few seconds until they soften, before wrapping them.

Is it better to use freshly cooked rice or can I use day old rice to make onigiri?

It doesn't matter if you use fresh or day old rice as long as the rice is warm or room temperature. If the rice isn't fresh it should still be moist and on the warmer side so the rice grains can stick together. But I don't recommend using rice that's more than a day old.

Conbini Style Tuna Mayo Onigiri

Name: Conbini Style Tuna Mayo Onigiri
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 can tuna in oil, well drained; 2 ½ tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise, or regular mayonnaise; ⅛ teaspoon msg (optional); ¼ teaspoon salt (optional); 25 ounces slightly warm or room temperature cooked short grain Japanese rice – about 4 cups (click here to learn how to cook Japanese rice); 4 nori sheets, cut in half

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 can tuna in oil, well drained
2 1/2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise, or regular mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon msg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
25 ounces slightly warm or room temperature cooked short grain Japanese rice – about 4 cups (click here to learn how to cook Japanese rice)
4 nori sheets, cut in half

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Instructions

Make the tuna mayo: Mix the tuna, mayonnaise, msg, and salt in a bowl until well combined.
Wet your hands: Keep a bowl of warm water close by. Wet your hands to prevent the rice from sticking to them.
Shape the rice balls: Scoop between ⅓ to ½ cup of rice into the palm of your hand. Create a small indentation in the center of the rice by pressing with your thumb.
Add the tuna mayo: Add about 1 tablespoon of tuna mayonnaise in the indentation and press gently to help it set.
Shape the rice ball one more time: Cover the area with the tuna mayo with rice so it’s completely hidden . Shape the rice between your palms into round or triangular shapes by pressing. Don’t press too hard but hard enough that the rice sticks together and holds shape.
Wrap with nori and serve: Take a sheet of nori and wrap it around the rice. Place the onigiri on a plate and repeat the steps until all the rice has been used. Serve immediately.

Notes

To save onigiri, do not wrap the nori around the rice. Instead, wrap each rice ball in plastic wrap and save them in a storage container. Refrigerate for up 3 days. Wrap them in nori after warming them up in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 onigiri
Calories: 207
Sugar: 0g
Sodium: 130mg
Fat: 4.3g
Saturated Fat: 0.7g
Unsaturated Fat: 2.4g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 35.6g
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 5.1g
Cholesterol: 4.2mg