Easy Tuna Onigiri

Instructions

1. Place the uncooked rice in a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Swirl the grains vigorously with your fingers, then carefully drain the cloudy water. Repeat this process three to four times until the water runs mostly clear.
2. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker instructions, or use a saucepan on the stovetop with a tight-fitting lid.
3. Once fully cooked, let the rice sit covered for ten minutes to steam. Then, gently fluff it with a wet rice paddle.
4. Transfer the fluffed rice to a wide baking dish or wooden bowl to cool down for about ten to fifteen minutes.
5. Open your can of tuna and press down firmly on the lid to drain out as much water as humanly possible. Transfer the dry, flaky tuna to a small mixing bowl.
6. Add the Japanese mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, and finely chopped green onion to the bowl. Use a fork to mash and fold everything together until it resembles a thick, creamy paste.
7. Set up a shallow bowl of cold water and a small saucer of kosher salt on your prep counter. Dip both hands into the water to wet them thoroughly, then shake off the excess drops. Dip two fingers into the salt and rub it briskly across your wet palms.
8. Scoop up a generous handful of warm rice (about half a cup) and gently flatten it into an oval in your non-dominant hand. Press a small indentation into the center of the rice oval.
9. Drop exactly one tablespoon of your spicy tuna mixture directly into the well. Carefully fold the edges of the rice over the filling, adding a tiny pinch of extra rice on top if needed to seal the tuna completely. Shape into a triangle.
10. Take a precut strip of roasted nori seaweed. Wrap it gently around the bottom base of the rice triangle. Dip the exposed, sticky edges of the rice into a shallow dish of furikake seasoning or toasted sesame seeds for an extra burst of crunch and umami.