Onigirazu Sushi Sandwich
My three kids love eating sushi — homemade, shop-bought — they’re addicted to it. Raw salmon, tuna, chicken katsu, vegetarian — they’ll take any and all. No surprises then that Onigirazu was always going to be a hit with my girls. We picked one of these up from a Japanese grocer’s in London for lunch one day. “Mmm, I want these in my packed lunch,” was murmured by all three daughters.
With the rice cooked, these take no longer than a regular sandwich to assemble. If you’re worried about refrigeration, I find a slim ice brick in an insulated lunchbox works beautifully to keep the rice cold. I bought my nori sheets from my local Korean supermarket — most larger supermarkets stock them too.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2
160g cooked sushi rice
1 tsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar, plus more to taste
½ tsp sugar
Salt
4 nori sheets
For the filling
100g tinned tuna, hot smoked salmon or smoked tofu
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
A handful of washed and dried lettuce or baby spinach leaves
¼ cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
50g coarsely grated carrot
1 small avocado, sliced
2 tsp pickled ginger, thinly sliced, with 2 tsp of the juice
½ - 2 tsp Wasabi (according to taste)
30g mayonnaise
METHOD
Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt to taste into the rice and put to one side
Mix the wasabi, pickled ginger, 2 tsp pickled ginger juice into the mayonnaise and put to one side.
Coat the tuna, salmon or tofu with the teriyaki sauce, and season to taste with salt and put to one side.
Lay a nori sheet shiny side down on a clean surface.
Wet your hands (to prevent sticking) and place half the rice in the centre, forming a rough square or rectangle.
Layer the fillings and mayonnaise on top, place the remaining rice on top, gently pressing down to keep everything together.
Fold the corners of the nori sheet over the filling, like wrapping a present, but don’t worry if there is a gap on the top.
Brush a second nori sheet with a little bit of water, then place the filled nori parcel on top with the exposed filling downwards to seal.
Fold the second sheet around the first and press it into a firm square or rectangle shape. Let it sit for a few minutes to help seal.
Cut in half with a sharp knife.