How to — Onigirazu — Sushi Sandwich Recipe

By Recipe Sara Kiyo Popowa
Published on September 17, 2019
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The onigirazu or “sushi sandwich” is a contemporary sibling to the onigiri and a brilliant invention: rice plus whatever fillings you like, folded into a whole nori sheet like a package. You don’t need to be a pro to get it right straight away and you can get enough filling in there for a substantial lunch (I make 1-2 onigirazu per person).

Use white Japanese, brown short-grain, or any mixed-grain rice to make onigirazu. If you use the rice warm, its steam “glues” the nori wrap together. If you use room-temperature rice, use wet hands to wrap, to make it stick that way. Onigirazu is best made in the morning with fresh rice and eaten the same day, but you can make it in the evening and refrigerate it overnight too (but you’ll have drier rice). Once you’ve got the hang of packaging it up (doesn’t take long), they can easily become a lunch staple.

Go wild with the fillings! You’ll soon work out how much your onigirazu can hold before it’s impossible to close. Use anything as long as it’s not too wet or oily. Just make sure you always finish with a top layer of rice, so that no moist filling touches (and dissolves) the seaweed.

To make:

Place a nori sheet in front of you on a clean work surface, with one corner pointing toward you. Use 5 1/2-7oz. rice per onigirazu. Using half of this volume (3-4 heaped tablespoons), make a square layer of rice in the middle of the nori, max 3/4 inch thick and about 3 1/4 inches square (1). Leave a little margin around the edge so you have enough nori to fold later. You can wet your hands a little to help shape the rice.

Add the fillings, as evenly as possible, and give everything a little squeeze from the top to compact (2). Finish with the second volume of rice, making a layer the same thickness as the first (3). Again, wet your hands to help shape the rice here.

Steps 1-3

To wrap:

Imagine wrapping a birthday gift. Pull the left and right nori corners together and overlap them with the filling safe inside (4). If you’re using warm rice, it should be enough to glue the nori corners together, but if not, wet your hands. Do the same with the top and bottom corners (5), tucking the folded corners in to make sure that no rice peeks out (image 6-7). Flip the onigirazu over and let it rest a few minutes on your work surface for the warm rice/water to glue the nori together (8).

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Steps 4-8</br”>

To pack:

Pack the onigirazu just like it is and eat it like a sandwich, or slice in half with a sharp, wet knife to show off the pretty insides (9). You can also wrap the onigirazu, and skip on the box entirely. I use a wax wrap, or foil lined with parchment paper, to reduce the use of plastic. Don’t let damp foods touch the onigirazu if you pack it in a box, as they may dissolve the nori.

Step 9

Tip:

To heat rice microwave-free use an ordinary steamer basket, lined with a little parchment paper to stop the rice from falling through. Steam for 5 minutes, until piping hot.

Also from Bento Power:

Many people bring their lunch to work to save money, time and to help control what they are eating (with no hidden nasties from processed shop-bought food), but sometimes it’s hard to think of interesting, nutritious things to make. Sara has come to the rescue with her vibrant, fun and inspirational approach to lunch boxes. She concentrates on having 5 clear elements: complex carbs, protein, fruit and veg, and sprinkles as well as the 5 colours used in authentic Japanese cooking: red, white, black, yellow and green. With just a few essential ingredients, you add your extras to create highly nutritious, vegetarian, colourful boxes of joy. With tips on how to stock your bento store-cupboard and basic ingredients and recipes to get you going, now is the time for bento to bounce into your breakfast, lunch box, or even into your dinner parties, filling you with Bento Power!

Reprinted with permission from Bento Power: Brilliantly Balanced Lunchbox Recipes by Sara Kiyo Popowa and published by Kyle Books, 2018.

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