Step by step

Method

4 steps

1. 1

   Start with warm short-grain rice — about 3 cups cooked. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a spoon of sesame seeds if you like. Let it cool until you can handle it without burning your palms; hot rice sticks, cold rice cracks.

2. 2

   Wet your hands with salted water (keeps the rice from gluing to you). Scoop about ⅓ cup rice, press a small dent in the middle, and add a teaspoon of filling — flaked salmon with a drop of soy, tuna mayo, or umeboshi paste.

3. 3

   Fold the rice over the filling and cup your hands into a triangle or ball, pressing firm but not crushing. You want it to hold when you bite, not turn into a dense brick. Repeat; re-wet hands whenever rice starts sticking.

4. 4

   Wrap a nori strip around each onigiri just before eating so the seaweed stays crisp. Serve at room temp for lunch boxes or a light meal — they should taste seasoned and gently salty, not bland rice.