Easy onigiri three ways

Method

1. Rinse the rice repeatedly in cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well, transfer to a rice cooker with the 600 ml water, and cook on the standard white-rice setting. If your cooker has cup markings, use its own 3-cup line instead of measuring the water.
2. When the rice is cooked, fluff it gently with a rice paddle. Close the lid and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes: it should remain warm and sticky but no longer be painfully hot or overly soft.
3. For the spicy tuna, drain the fish very thoroughly. Mash it with 22 ml Kewpie, the sriracha, sesame oil, and a small pinch of salt. Add only enough extra mayonnaise to bind it; a wet filling makes the rice fall apart.
4. For the mazekomi, sear the diced Spam in a dry nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, then remove it. Beat the egg with the salt and optional sugar, pour it into the rendered Spam fat, and cook it as a thin omelette. Flip briefly to set the second side, then chop it finely.
5. For the yaki glaze, stir the soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar until most of the sugar dissolves.
6. Divide the warm rice according to the styles you want to make, allowing about 150 g cooked rice per onigiri. Keep rice covered while working so the surface does not dry out.
7. For spicy tuna-filled onigiri, place a thin layer of rice in a dampened mold or salted wet hands. Make a shallow well, add no more than 15 ml filling, cover with more rice, and press only firmly enough to hold. Wrap with a half sheet or strip of nori.
8. For Spam-and-egg mazekomi, gently fold the browned Spam, chopped egg, and furikake into its share of rice. Place about 150 g on plastic wrap, draw the wrap tight, then press and rotate it between cupped hands to form a triangle. Do not crush the grains.
9. For soy-mirin yaki, wet clean hands in lightly salted water and gently shape plain warm rice into compact triangles. Heat the nonstick skillet over medium-high and wipe it with the neutral oil.
10. Brush one broad face of each yaki onigiri sparingly with glaze and place it glaze-side down. Sear for about 2 minutes, brush the upper face lightly, and flip with a spatula. Repeat the light brushing and turning until both faces are crisp and caramelised. Excess glaze will soak the rice and make it collapse.
11. Add nori immediately if serving now. For packed onigiri, cool them before wrapping, keep the nori separate so it stays crisp, and add it just before eating.

Notes

• Japanese short- or medium-grain rice is essential. Long-grain and jasmine rice do not stick sufficiently for reliable shaping.
• A plastic cutting board, plastic wrap, or an onigiri mold prevents sticking. Salted water is the traditional option for shaping by hand.
• Ian’s spicy filling works with tuna or salmon; the video accidentally uses salmon while the written recipe specifies tuna.
• Do not compress the rice into a dense paste. Use enough pressure to create structure while leaving individual grains visible.
• Cooked rice is perishable. Eat freshly made onigiri promptly or refrigerate within 2 hours; packed nori should remain separate until serving.

Sources consulted

• Ian Fujimoto: The Secret to Making Easy Onigiri
• Ian Fujimoto: The Only Onigiri Guide You’ll Need