[Sangetsu]

Onigiri is terribly easy to make, and somewhat easy to mess up. First, you need to make sure that you are preparing the rice properly. The most important thing is to wash the uncooked rice before using it. You put the rice in a strainer and run water through it while scrubbing the rice with your hands; when the water from the bottom of the strainer runs clear, then the rice is ready to cook.

Washing the rice makes it more tacky, meaning it is easier to eat with chopsticks, and it will hold it's shape when you make onigiri (nori will also stick to it more easily). To prevent the rice from sticking to your hands while shaping onigiri, you need to wet them (your hands) with water.

Plain onigiri is somewhat flavorless. I like to add ochazuke (a kind of soup mix) to the rice before shaping it. Tarako (cooked cod roe), smoked salmon, or tuna salad makes a good stuffing for onigiri. You don't need to wrap the onigiri with nori until you are ready to eat it, the nori tastes better when it is crisp.