Instructions

To Make the Sushi Rice

1. Measure the rice into a bowl.
2. Transfer the rice into a fine sieve through which the rice grains cannot escape.
3. Wash and rinse the rice under a cold tap until the water runs clear. Use your hands to gently move the rice around the sieve. At first, the water will appear milky and cloudy, but as the starch rinses away, the water will start to look clear.
4. Shake the sieve to remove as much excess water as possible.
5. Transfer the rinsed rice to a medium-sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. I like to use a cast-iron pot to cook my rice, but any stainless steel pan will work as well.
6. Measure the water.
7. Pour the water over the rice in the saucepan.
8. Cover the saucepan with a lid.
9. Place the saucepan on the stove.
10. Cook the rice on low to medium heat for 30 minutes. The water should not come to a boil; it should just gently simmer so that the rice will cook slowly and gently. A glass lid will help you to see how the rice is cooking.
11. After 30 minutes, turn off the stove and remove the saucepan from the heat source.
12. Let the rice continue to steam for about 10 minutes, but you can skip this step if you are in a hurry.
13. Fluff the rice before serving.

To Season the Sushi Rice

1. Transfer the rice to a large sheet pan or similar.
2. Using a rice paddle, spread out the rice in a thin layer so that it can cool down quickly.
3. Sprinkle over the seasoning ingredients.
4. Use the rice paddle to mix everything together by folding the rice over onto itself, and then spreading it out again.
5. Leave the rice to cool until it is at room temperature before using in recipes for sushi, onigiri or similar.

To Make the Tuna Filling

1. Drain the tuna.
2. Place the tuna into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. Flake the tuna with a fork.
4. Add the remaining ingredients.
5. Mix everything together until the ingredients are well combined.
6. Taste for seasoning.
7. I like to transfer the filling to a large piping bag, but you can skip this step.

To Assemble the Onigiri

1. Use a small spoon or spatula to place some rice into the onigiri mould, about halfway up.
2. Use the spoon to compact the rice together gently.
3. Use a melon-baller or similar to make a small dent in the middle of the rice.
4. Place about a teaspoon of the tuna filling into this dent.
5. Cover the tuna filling with more rice, enough to fill the mould.
6. Place the lid onto the onigiri mould and press gently to compact everything together.
7. Gently remove the onigiri from the mould.
8. Wrap the bottom of the onigiri with a piece of nori, cut as big or as small as you like. Alternatively, use a shiso leaf or perilla leaf in place of the nori.
9. Sprinkle the top of the onigiri with some furikake.
10. Serve the onigiri immediately.
11. Onigiri is best made just before serving, but it can keep for a few hours in the fridge. If you are not serving the onigiri right away, wrap them individually in plastic wrap to prevent the rice from drying out.