What kind of fillings can I put in onigiri?

Common Onigiri Fillings

Tuna Mayo (Sea Chicken, シーチキン・ツナマヨネーズ)
Grilled Salmon Flakes (Yaki-shake/Beni-shake, 焼鮭・紅しゃけ)
Pickled Plum (Ume, 梅)
Salted Cod Roe (Tarako, たらこ)
Seasoned Cod Roe (Mentaiko, 明太子)
Dried Bonito Flakes (Okaka, おかか)
Kelp Simmered in Soy Sauce (Kombu, 昆布)
Grilled Salmon Cream Cheese (焼サーモンクリームチーズ)

What is the most popular filling for onigiri?

The most common fillings for onigiri in Japan include:

sha-ke (salted salmon)
umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum)
okaka (bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce)
kombu (simmered kombu seaweed)
tuna mayo (canned tuna with Japanese mayonnaise)
tarako (salted cod roe) – not in the picture.

Why does my onigiri fall apart?

If you are using long grain rice (such as jasmine rice), the onigiri will simply fall apart because they are not sticky enough. You can overcook the long grain rice so it will be soft and mushy to form a shape, but it certainly will not taste very good.

Do you have to use sticky rice for onigiri?

Onigiri must be made with sticky, short- or medium-grain rice, ideally steam-cooked japonica type rice. If you can’t get a hold of Japanese rice (also commonly sold as ‘susi rice’), Italian medium-grain rices uses for risotto like vialone (which is the most like Japanese urichi-mai), arborio and so on can be used.

Why are my onigiri sticky?

If the fillings are too oily or watery, it will cause the rice to lose it’s “stickiness” and result the rice ball not be able to hold its shape.

Should you wash rice for onigiri?

Unlike sushi, which is made with rice seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar, the rice for onigiri is simply cooked sushi rice. Although a rice cooker is typically used, you don’t need one. Simply rinse the rice, then cook it at a 1:1 ratio of rice to water.