06 Feb Onigiri Rice Balls

Rice balls make great compact and healthy lunches for kids.

Onigiri rice balls can be made the day before and refrigerated, which is a win for time-poor parents who can’t always make school lunch in the mornings. If packing for a lunchbox, cover the rice balls with cling wrap, then get the kids to create funny faces on each using a marker and stickers.

Makes: 3

Ingredients
1 cup of pre-cooked and cooled Jasmine rice
1 small tin tuna in spring water, drained
1 tsp mayonnaise

Method

In a small bowl, stir mayonnaise in with tuna until combined. Fill the bottom half of onigiri rice mould with rice. Place tuna-mayo mixture on top of rice in the centre. Fill the rest of the mould with rice. Press and hold down the mould lid, squeezing ingredients together.

Tip onigiri out of mould carefully onto a plate – it should be in the shape of your mould. Repeat steps with remaining mixture to make another two onigiri rice balls.

Tip: If you don’t have a rice mould, scoop a good amount of rice into the palm of your hand, followed by a teaspoon of tuna-mayo, and another generous scoop of rice on top. Start rolling into a ball, then mould into a triangle, being sure to keep the tuna in the middle of the rice ball. Keep hands wet with water to stop rice from sticking to your hands.

To pack for a lunchbox, cover the rice balls with cling wrap, then get the kids to create funny faces on each using a marker and stickers. 

Words by Jenna Templeton