Another Japan favorite, best selling conbini (convenience store) item, the onigiri! It’s the ideal snack for on-the-go and quite filling and nutritious. These could be a meal in itself if you eat enough of them. In Japan, these rice balls come stuffed with a variety of delicious fillings and flavors! For you, I have two delicious vegan fillings, kombu tsukudani (simmered seaweed) and spicy mayo tofu!
As I’m writing this post, it’s mid-September, and here in Virginia, the temperatures are slowly going down. Summer is packing up and Fall will be here real soon! It’s time to get in the last bit of summer before it gets too cold for any kind of activity! And I don’t know about you, but my husband and I are going on more hikes and road trips before fall hits, and one of our favorite snacks to bring along are these delicious onigiris! A good alternative to sandwiches and super filling.
What is Onigiri?
In Japan, onigiri simply means rice ball. They are most commonly seen and readily available in convenience stores and have a variety of fillings. It’s such a quick and easy snack that the Japanese take as they on-the-go. Do not mistake these as sushi, there is actually a difference. One of the key differences in the preparation of rice. Sushi is mixed with rice vinegar and sugar, while onigiri is only seasoned with salt.
I was inspired to recreate this because one, they are really easy to make, and two most of the fillings are not vegan friendly. I wanted to show that you can make delicious onigiri fillings without the use of fish, which is the main culprit of why they are not vegan. But, as always, you can customize these to however you want! Get creative and make it fun for you and your friends and family.
If you’d tried this recipe out let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram @flouredframe and don’t forget to tag me when you create my recipes! Happy cooking!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)
Equipment
- Rice cooker You can also use a large pot or instant pot
- Mixing bowls
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Small saucepan
- Medium-sized saute pan
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 cups Short grain sushi rice
- 2 ½ cups Water
- 1 ½ teaspoons Sea salt (for added flavor)
- 4-5 sheets Nori (Seaweed sheets for sushi)
Kombu Filling
- ¼ cup (30g) Kombu (edible seaweed, see notes)
- ¾ cup Warm water
- 2 tablespoons Rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Mirin
- 2 tablespoons Sake
- 2 tablespoons Granulated sugar
Spicy Mayonnaise Tofu FIlling
- ½ block Firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Mirin
- 2 tablespoons Vegan mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha (add more or less to your preference)
Instructions
Make The Rice
- Rinse the rice in a bowl or pot until the water runs clear, then drain.
- Cook rice. See details in the notes below for how to cook the rice either on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
- Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Use a spatula to mix in the salt. Use a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing.
- Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel this will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
Make Kombu Filling
- Soak the dry kombu in warm water for 5-10 minutes, or until it is soft. Drain, but reserve the water.
- Carefully cut the kombu into thin strips. These will be slimy so be extra careful. Place the kombu strips back into the water and add 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar. Allow to soak for another hour. See notes
- Place the kombu, along with the water in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add in soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Bring it up to a simmer and reduce the heat on the lowest setting.
- Cover and cook the kombu for 20-30 minutes or until it is extremely soft. Add a bit of water if it starts drying out before it is ready. When it’s done, it will be soft, shiny, and caramelized. Set aside.
Spicy Mayonnaise Tofu Filling
- Press the tofu in a tofu press for about 15 minutes to release the excess water. Then crumble the tofu with your hands until you get small pieces.
- Heat a bit of oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the tofu crumbles, and season it with soy sauce and mirin. Cook until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Add in the vegan mayonnaise and sriracha to the bowl and mix it in with the tofu. Set aside.
Assembly
- Cut the nori sheets into 3 long strips and wet the onigiri mold with water to prevent the rice from sticking. Fill the mold halfway with rice and add a spoonful of your filling of choice.
- Fill the rest of the mold with rice. Cover with the lid and push down firmly. Remove the rice ball from the mold and wrap a strip of nori (seaweed) around the onigiri. Repeat until you’re out of rice.
Notes
- Kombu comes in various sizes, so break them up into smaller pieces.
- Rice vinegar helps to tenderize the kombu. Some thicker parts may require a longer soak.
- If not eating right away, you can wrap the onigiri and store it in the fridge.
- These will last about 2 days in the fridge. The longer they sit in the fridge, the rice will start losing its moisture and might end up being hard.
- Rice Cooker instructions:
- Cover and cook the rice according to the device's instructions.
- Instant Pot instructions:
- Briefly stir the rice and water together in the bowl of an Instant Pot. Cover and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release, followed by a quick release.
- Stovetop Instructions:
- Briefly stir together the rice and water in a large saucepan, then cover the saucepan with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the water just reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, and cook for 16-18 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove saucepan from the heat (with the lid still on) and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes.
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