Egg Yolk Onigiri

A recipe for Egg Yolk Onigiri! Freshly steamed rice is filled with a soy sauce-marinated egg yolk and wrapped in nori.

Disclaimer: This recipe uses raw egg yolks. Use only pasteurized or an egg source you trust. Consuming raw eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness.

While in Japan, I started many mornings with a visit to the nearest Konbini (コンビニ, convenience store) to grab a couple of Onigiri and a coffee.

I tried quite a few flavors over two weeks from Grilled Japanese Beef Kalbi and Salmon & Sesame to Tenkasu & Ginger, Karaage, and even Egg & Stir Fried Noodles. The Egg Yolk Onigiri I got from Seven-Eleven was my personal favorite.

At Rahmen Eddie in Shinjuku and other specialty onigiri shops, I saw the onigiri wrapped in nori with an additional egg yolk over the top and bookmarked the styling to try at home.

Freezing the Eggs

These Egg Yolk Soy Sauce Marinated Rice Balls (卵黄のしょうゆ漬けおにぎり) take some planning ahead, but overall come together easily. The longest part is preparing the egg filling.

I came across a couple of different ways for marinating the egg yolks.

One option is simply separating fresh egg yolks from the whites and refrigerating in a soy sauce mixture for a day or two. I first tried this method while reviewing Everyday Dorie a few years ago. This way absorbs that wonderful flavor and is perfect for serving over rice, but the texture wasn’t quite what I remembered in the Onigiri.

While researching Japanese sites including Lettuce Club and Okonomi Kitchen, I came across the method of freezing the entire egg first. This paired with the soy sauce marinade creates that thickened, almost jam-like texture perfect for holding its shape even when wrapped in rice.

Start by placing fresh or pasteurized eggs (I went with 6 to make three Onigiri in all) in a container (they will crack under the pressure) and freeze overnight, roughly 8-12 hours.

Once frozen, run the egg briefly under cold water and the shell should be easy to peel off. After removing all the shells, set the peeled eggs aside in a bowl at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour to defrost.

After they have defrosted enough to be soft to touch, peel the egg white away from the egg yolk (this is not the most fun activity if you have issues with texture).

Marinating the Eggs

Place the separated egg yolks in a bowl with the soy sauce mirin mixture. Do not discard the egg whites! I usually scramble them with rice and seasonings to make fried rice and avoid waste.

Marinate for at least 4 hours, carefully flipping the yolks halfway if they are not completely covered by the soy sauce. The flavor is even better after a day and the texture will continue to thicken with time (up to four days).

I used a blend of soy sauce and mirin in the marinade. You can also use Mentsuyu or even Ponzu. I have even come across some recipes with a miso-based sauce.

The Egg Yolk Onigiri I had from Seven-Eleven was coated in a Dashi Soy Sauce. If you want to make your own at home, No Recipes has a recipe for Dashi Shoyu (だし醤油, Japanese Seasoned Soy Sauce) or you can stir a little dashi powder into the soy sauce.

A Few Egg Yolk Onigiri Tips

Be sure to use freshly cooked, still warm short grain Japanese rice to form the Egg Yolk Onigiri. Cold rice won’t have enough moisture to stay together.

Before handling the rice, remember to wet your hands with water and lightly salt them to keep the rice from sticking.

I used about 5 ounces (150 grams) of rice for each Onigiri- 3.5 ounces (100 grams, about 1/2 cup) in the base and another 1.7 ounces (50 grams, 1/4 cup) to cover the yolk. You can make the onigiri a little smaller if desired, but I don’t recommend making them much bigger.

I wrapped each rice ball in a rectangular strip (4 x 7.5 inches/10 x 19 centimeters) of nori. To get this size, I cut one standard square nori sheet in half.

Don’t have nori available? I have seen some recipes wrap the onigiri in prosciutto for a more decadent option.

Serve the Egg Yolk Onigiri immediately after assembling. Since this Onigiri has raw egg as an ingredient, it is not a good option for bento/lunchboxes.

If you don’t want to form the individual rice balls, the soy sauce marinated egg yolks are delicious served simply over a bowl of rice with a sprinkling of furikake (seasoning).

Variations

For the recipe, I shared how to make a basic Egg Yolk Onigiri. There is plenty of room to add more flavor, though!

While in Kyoto, I bought a package of Kyoto Crunchy Hot Chili Oil Rice Seasoning (京らー油ふりかけ) and have been adding it to everything from rice bowls to spaghetti. Instead of coating my hands in salt, I used a little bit of the furikake to form a thin coating around the Onigiri and it accented the egg perfectly.

I also like to add a spoonful of Meat Soboro (肉そぼろ) to the filling along with egg. I used JustBento’s recipe for a Basic Meat Soboro in these photos.

For another fun presentation, I came across a hand roll style (Temaki Onigiri, 手巻きおにぎり) paired with a spicy meat mixture and miso-marinated egg yolks on Marukome.

Looking for more recipes with rice?

Try my:

• Curry Doria (Japanese Curry Rice Gratin)
• Rice with Butter and Soy Sauce
• Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Egg Yolk Onigiri Recipe

Adapted from Lettuce Club and Okonomi Kitchen

Print Pin

Egg Yolk Onigiri

A recipe for Egg Yolk Onigiri! Freshly steamed rice is filled with a soy sauce-marinated egg yolk and wrapped in nori.

Course Main

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword egg, egg yolk, Japan, Japanese, onigiri, rice

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 14 hours hours

Total Time 14 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 3 Onigiri

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) mirin
• 3 sheets (4 x 7.5 inches/10 x 19 centimeters) nori
• 1 pound (450 grams) freshly steamed short grain Japanese rice

Instructions

Prepare the eggs:

• Place the eggs in a covered freezer-safe container and freeze overnight, 8-12 hours.
• Once frozen, run one of the eggs briefly under cold water and peel off the shell.
• Place the peeled egg in a container and repeat with the remaining eggs.
• Defrost the peeled eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and mirin. Set aside.
• Carefully remove the egg white from the egg yolk and place the egg yolk in the bowl with the soy sauce mixture. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Save the egg whites for another use.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the egg yolks for at least 4 hours, carefully turning halfway, and up to four days.

Assemble the Egg Yolk Onigiri:

• Place a 12 x 12 inch (30 x 30 centimeter) piece of plastic wrap over a small bowl.
• Arrange 3.5 ounces (100 grams, about 1/2 cup) of freshly cooked, still warm Japanese rice across the plastic wrap in the bowl.
• Carefully place one of the marinated egg yolks in the center of the rice.
• Top the egg yolk with 1.7 ounces (50 grams, 1/4 cup) more of rice.
• Bring up the ends of the plastic wrap to lightly press the rice into a ball around the egg yolk.
• Wet your hands with water and lightly salt.
• Remove the rice ball from the plastic wrap and use your lightly salted hands to gently press the rice into a triangular shape.
• Place the triangle-shaped rice ball at the end of a (4 x 7.5 inch/10 x 19 centimeter) nori sheet with the point of the triangle facing the end.
• Fold the nori over the rice ball, tucking in the sides, then turn the rice ball on its side so there is a opening in the nori facing upwards.
• Carefully place a second marinated egg yolk at the top of the rice ball against the edge of the nori.
• Repeat with the remaining rice and egg yolks to form three Onigiri in all.
• Serve immediately.