GOCHUJANG TUNA-MELT ONIGIRI – Lady and Pups

Step 1

Cook the rice according to your rice-cooker's instruction, or do it on the stove this way. Wait for the rice to cool enough to handle (covered with lid the hole time to prevent drying out).

Step 2

Meanwhile, drain ay excess liquid/oil from the tuna (save the oil! it's terrific for salad dressing), then with a fork, crumble/mix it evenly with kewpie mayonnaise, gochujang chili paste, toasted sesame oil, tabasco sauce, grated ginger and ground black pepper. Set aside.

Step 3

If you have onigiri-molds, or prefer to make them with a biscuit cutter-mold, do it. Otherwise, once the rice has cooled, prepare a bowl of water on the side and wet your hands thoroughly (prevents rice from sticking to your hands). Grab about 1/4 cup of cooked rice, then flatten it in your palm. Place 3/4 slice of American cheddar cheese and about 2 tsp of tuna-filling in the centre, then top it with another pile of rice. Wet your hands again, then squeeze the entire thing tightly into a ball . I find it easiest to squeeze tightly, hold for a few seconds for the rice to bond, then turn and squeeze again. Due to the over-stuffing nature of this onigiri (traditional onigiri probably only has 1/3 of the amount of filling), you may have to patch where the filings are exposing with extra nubs of rice. Once you have a tightly packed rice ball, set aside, then repeat until you've used up all the rice. You should have around 5~6 rice balls, and probably extra fillings left.

Step 4

You don't have to toast the onigiri, but in this case, I thought the specks of toasted sesame seeds look nice, so the choice is yours. Preheat the broiler on high. Sprinkle a pinch of white sesame seeds on the top of each onigiri, and place on a baking-sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 10 min until the tops are slightly browned.

Step 5

If your nori sheets are slightly stale, simply swipe it over low flames for a few time and they should crisp up reliably. Now, for photography purposes, I used a smaller nori-sheet to wrap the onigiri so the rice is exposed. But typically, I like to encase the entire ball in nori-sheet. You can do it however you like. I also brush the surface lightly with toasted sesame oil for a nice sheen. Onigiri is best eaten within a few hours it's made.