Recipe: Easy Japanese or Hawaiian rice balls | Musubi or onigiri

During my Narita layover, I stopped by a convenience store to pick up some onigiri, which is my favorite Japanese snack ever. It’s essentially a stuffed rice ball wrapped in crispy sheets of seaweed. My favorites are from the 7-11 or Family Mart and contain spicy tuna or tuna with mayo as the filling. You may also find teriyaki beef or plum or whatever, but I love the tuna ones best.In Hawaii, there is a similar rice ball called musubi and, in classic Hawaiian tradition, it’s stuffed with a seared slice of Spam. Why some call it musubi while others say onigiri is unclear—both words refer to the same thing: a rice ball.They’re handy snacks for on-the-go. In Japan, I would buy some in the morning and carry them in my bag for a mid-day snack in between sightseeing. Or they’re good for a road trip or day at the pool. Basically, any food that can be eaten neatly with your hands is the ideal on-the-go snack.After a weekend of hectic home-cooking, you’re probably ready for something simple. Here is an easy recipe for musubi/onigiri. Happy cooking!

Recipe: Musubi or Onigiri, Rice Balls

Notes: You can essentially stuff them with whatever you’d like—just think of this recipe as a guideline to help you reach your maximum rice ball potential. You can form the rice balls by hand, but a musubi mold will make the task easier.

Ingredients

1. 3 c uncooked sushi rice
2. 5 sheets nori, halved lengthwise
3. furikake to taste

For Spam:

4. 1 (12 oz) can Spam, sliced lengthwise into 10 pieces

For tuna mayo:

5. 2 (6 oz) cans tuna, drained
6. 3 tbsp mayonnaise
7. 1.5 tbsp Sriracha sauce

Instructions

1. Make rice: Cook rice according to package instructions. Transfer to medium bowl and cool completely. Fold in vsalt to taste.
2. Cook Spam if using: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, pan-fry Spam until browned and crisp, approx 1m per side. Transfer to shallow dish lined with paper towels.
3. Prep tuna if using: In a medium bowl, mix together tuna, mayo, and Sriracha.
4. Form musubi: Lay musubi mold base on center of nori and fill halfway with rice, pressing down with top of mold to pack. Add furikake to taste, then slice of Spam or spoonful of tuna mixture, then more furikake, then more rice until mold is filled, pressing down with top of mold to pack. Remove mold and wrap nori around filling.
5. Seal in plastic wrap and eat the same day.

Active time: 25m
Total time: 35m + rice cook time
Yields: 10 servings