Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (2024)

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These fun and easy football (soccer) shaped tuna rice balls are perfect for lunch boxes, healthy snacks or football themed party food!

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (1)

The EURO 2021 Football tournament is starting this week and I've got a fun football themed recipe to celebrate!

These easy tuna rice balls are decorated to look like footballs and they're easier to make than you might think! They are great for popping in lunch boxes or serving up for fun and healthy football themed party food - why not make a batch for the whole family to snack on while you watch the next big game!

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (2)

I made six large rice balls as I found them easier to make in a larger size, but you can of course make the mixture go a bit further with smaller rice balls if wanted.

I filled my rice balls with a simple tuna mayo filling, but you can use any filling of your choice - finely chopped veggies such as avocado, cucumber or peppers work well and make great alternatives if you'd prefer a vegetarian or vegan rice ball.

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (3)

Football Tuna Rice Balls

Ingredients (makes 6):

  • 250g sushi rice
  • 3 tbs sushi vinegar
  • 120g tin tuna in spring water
  • 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 sheet nori (dried seaweed)

Method:

Start by cooking the sushi rice. Pop the rice into a sieve and clean thoroughly by running cold water through it until the water runs clear.

Place the rice in a saucepan with 330ml water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn the heat off and leave the pan to stand (DO NOT remove the lid!) for 25-30 minutes.

Once the rice is cooked through, fluff it up with a fork, then pour over the sushi vinegar and stir to combine well.

Pop the rice into a bowl to cool down.

Whilst the rice is cooling, drain the tuna then flake into a bowl and mix with the mayonnaise until completely combined. Season to taste with a little black pepper if wanted.

Once cool, lay a sheet of clingfilm on your kitchen work surface and spoon on a generous tablespoon of rice. Flatten the rice with the back of the spoon to form a flat circle in the centre of the clingfilm (top tip - wet the spoon and your fingertips with cold water to make it easier handle the sticky rice).

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (4)

Using a teaspoon, spoon some tuna into the centre of the rice.

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (5)

Pick up the edges of the clingfilm and use to gather the rice into a ball around the tuna.

Twist the clingfilm to mould the rice into a tight ball.

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (6)

Carefully remove the rice ball from the clingfilm and place onto a plate.

Repeat until you have used up all the rice.

Cut the sheet of nori (dried seaweed) into strips. Fold each strip back and forth until you have a folded square, then use clean kitchen scissors to cut it into a pentagon (mine were hexagons, oops!). You should then be able to separate it out into a whole pile of separate pentagons.

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (7)

Use the nori pentagons to decorate the rice balls to look like footballs - just press them onto the rice ball and they will stick in place by themselves.

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (8)

Serve immediately or cover and pop in the fridge until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like these easy lunchbox rice based recipes too:

Rainbow Rice Salad Jars

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (9)

Easy Rainbow Vegetable Sushi

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (10)

Lunchbox Rice Salad Pots

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (11)

Or for more fun food ideas like this one, check out the fun food tutorials page here on the blog where you'll find fun food ideas for every occasion!

Grace

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (12)

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Football Tuna Rice Balls

These fun and easy football (soccer) shaped tuna rice balls are perfect for lunch boxes, healthy snacks or football themed party food!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Lunch, Party Food

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: 6 rice balls

Author: Grace Hall

Ingredients

  • 250 g sushi rice
  • 3 tbs sushi vinegar
  • 120 g tin tuna in spring water
  • 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 sheet nori dried seaweed

Metric - US Cups/Ounces

Instructions

  • Start by cooking the sushi rice. Pop the rice into a sieve and clean thoroughly by running cold water through it until the water runs clear.

  • Place the rice in a saucepan with 330ml water. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes turn the heat off and leave the pan to stand (DO NOT remove the lid!) for 25-30 minutes.

  • Once the rice is cooked through, fluff it up with a fork, then pour over the sushi vinegar and stir to combine well.

  • Pop the rice into a bowl to cool down.

  • Whilst the rice is cooling, drain the tuna then flake into a bowl and mix with the mayonnaise until completely combined. Season to taste with a little black pepper if wanted.

  • Once cool, lay a sheet of clingfilm on your kitchen work surface and spoon on a generous tablespoon of rice. Flatten the rice with the back of the spoon to form a flat circle in the centre of the clingfilm (top tip - wet the spoon and your fingertips with cold water to make it easier handle the sticky rice).

  • Using a teaspoon, spoon some tuna into the centre of the rice.

  • Pick up the edges of the clingfilm and use to gather the rice into a ball around the tuna.

  • Twist the clingfilm to mould the rice into a tight ball.

  • Carefully remove the rice ball from the clingfilm and place onto a plate.

  • Repeat until you have used up all the rice.

  • Cut the sheet of nori (dried seaweed) into strips. Fold each strip back and forth until you have a folded square, then use clean kitchen scissors to cut it into a pentagon. You should then be able to separate it out into a whole pile of separate pentagons.

  • Use the nori pentagons to decorate the rice balls to look like footballs - just press them onto the rice ball and they will stick in place by themselves.

  • Serve immediately or cover and pop in the fridge until ready to serve.

Love this fun recipe? Why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it again!

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (13) Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (14)

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Football (Soccer) Tuna Rice Balls Recipe? ›

Use short-grained sushi rice and cook according to the directions. I like to add about 1/4 cup more water per cup of rice to make it stickier. Place a couple tablespoons of the cooked rice in the center of the plastic wrap. Place your desired fillings on top of the rice.

How do you get rice balls to stick? ›

Use short-grained sushi rice and cook according to the directions. I like to add about 1/4 cup more water per cup of rice to make it stickier. Place a couple tablespoons of the cooked rice in the center of the plastic wrap. Place your desired fillings on top of the rice.

What are sticky rice balls made of? ›

A popular snack all over China, glutinous rice balls, or tang yuan, are filled with red bean, sesame, peanut, and other sweet fillings that ooze out from mochi-like dumplings skins. The dumpling skins owe their pleasantly gummy texture to glutinous rice flour, which produces a chewier dough.

How to make onigiri without the mold? ›

Simply just roll the rice into a ball between the palm of your hands. Because it's so easy, I haven't seen a round onigiri mold. You can either keep it completely round or flatten it like the ones commonly seen at convenient stores.

What is rice ball from? ›

Onigiri (お握り or 御握り), also known as omusubi (お結び), nigirimeshi (握り飯), or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori.

How to make rice balls not fall apart? ›

Give just enough pressure.

Your hands should be firm enough when pressing the onigiri so the rice doesn't fall apart when you shape it. You don't want to squeeze the rice too tight. Rotate the rice balls every time you give gentle pressure. After rotating 3-5 times, the rice ball should be in good shape.

What can I add to rice to make it stick? ›

Combine 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan. Mix everything together with a spoon. This will be the seasoning for your sushi rice. It may also help your rice become a little more sticky.

How healthy is rice balls? ›

Nutritious: This recipe mainly consists of rice, which is a good source of carbohydrates. Depending on the other ingredients you include, onigiri can be a great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Kid-Friendly: I think Japanese Rice Balls are maybe the most kid-friendly lunch or snack ever.

What makes sticky rice stick? ›

Glutinous rice is distinguished from other types of rice by having no (or negligible amounts of) amylose and high amounts of amylopectin (the two components of starch). Amylopectin is responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice.

What kind of rice is sticky rice made of? ›

Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose content, and is especially sticky when cooked.

Why did my onigiri fall apart? ›

Onigiri can fall apart for a few reasons. First, using the wrong type of rice can cause it to fall apart because it's not sticky enough. Use short or medium-grain rice and avoid long-grain rice. The second reason can be that it was not firmly pressed into its shape.

What rice is best for onigiri? ›

For onigiri that holds its shape well, it's important to use short-grain Japonica rice, such as “sushi” rice, a category that includes Calrose and Koshihikari rice and, as Sho notes, simply refers to varieties of rice preferred in Japan.

Can you use jasmine rice for onigiri? ›

While Japanese sushi is made with Short Grain Sushi Rice, onigiri is set apart and made with long grain Jasmine Rice, which is commonly used for Asian-inspired recipes. The grains cook up with an aromatic flavor and subtly sticky texture making them perfect for rolling into balls around a fresh filling.

What is the black thing on rice balls? ›

It is sold in sheets which can be cut to your desired shape. It's Nori , a form of laver/seaweed that has been pressed into thin sheets, and used to wrap the rice.

What makes rice balls stick together? ›

Normally you'd want to use a short, stubby rice grain for rice balls so they hold together and are softer. To try and keep those elements, I slightly overcook my basmati rice and mash it with a fork to break it up. Then, I use this handy silicone mould to create the oval shape.

What is the 🍙 emoji? ›

A Japanese onigiri, a cone-shaped ball of white rice, a snack wrapped with a sheet of nori, or seaweed. Rice Ball was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015.

Why are my Italian rice balls not sticking together? ›

It's important for the starches to gel in order for the rice balls to stick together. The minimum amount of time that I have chilled the rice is 1 hour, and the arancini held together successfully.

What helps rice stick together? ›

Adding a bit of flour back into the mix is important to help it clump together. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the water is absorbed. The rice will look a bit like risotto.

How do you stop arancini from falling apart? ›

Simmering risotto and frying the arancini are simple tasks, but the step in between is crucial: Do not skimp on chilling your risotto. If it is not properly chilled, it will fall apart in the hot oil instead of forming crisp, glistening, orbs filled with molten cheese.

What makes onigiri stick? ›

Japanese short-grain rice holds its shape better and produces grains that are just sticky enough to form cohesive onigiri. Wetting your hands in a saltwater mixture prevents the grains from sticking to your fingers as you shape the onigiri and helps to season the rice ball.

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