Maybe some of you have heard of a simple yet delicious Japanese snack called onigiri. Well, let me introduce onigiri’s sister to you, Onigirazu! Onigirazu, also known as the sushi sandwich, is a tasty, simple and great choice of snack, lunch, breakfast or even midnight snack. Onigirazu is for those that love sushi but don’t have the time. Onigirazu is the perfect choice for those of you want to have sushi on-the-go. Onigirazu can be the cute bento that you bring to your office or school and show off. In fact, onigirazu bento is very popular in Japan and people LOVE it.

Scroll down to find out more about onigirazu, a sushi sandwich! There are even 2 simple and delicious onigirazu recipes included at the end!

Onigirazu is?

So what exactly is onigirazu? As mentioned, onigirazu is very similar to onigiri, which is a Japanese rice ball oftentimes in triangular shapes with steamed salmon, tuna, or other fillings stuffed in the middle. They are very common in Japan, you can easily get them in convenience stores for breakfast, lunch or just snacks. Onigirazu is based on onigiri, instead of molding or shaping the rice ball into a particular shape, onigirazu just layer the nori(seaweed), rice, and ingredients/fillings, rice, and nori on the top together and cut it in half. Which is just like a sandwich, the rice replaces the bread and instead of ham and cheese, you get fish and other common Japanese fillings. Thus, many people refer to onigirazu as sushi sandwich because it is made just like one but just sushi style. This onigirazu is an option bento choice for many people in Japan and now it is spreading all around the world.

Onigirazu in Japanese pop-culture

So let us take a closer look at onigirazu and how it came about. Onigirazu was created in the 1980s through a popular manga series called Cooking Papa. The protagonist of the manga, Kazumi, is a typical Japanese salaryman that is also an excellent cook who makes all the bento (lunch boxes) for his family, he invented the onigirazu. The onigirazu is a play on the word of onigiri, where can be translated into to mold “nigiru”, while “nigirazu” which means to not mold. Not molding the onigiri into a triangle or a ball shape but keep it flat like a sandwich. From then on, onigirazu became a very popular dish for the common household, people would often pack it for bento.

Onigirazu, the perfect bento and snack

Onigirazu is a simple and delicious choice of food. You can easily make it very fancy with avocado, salmon and caviar or you and came it very simple and have some fried eggs, lettuce, and spam. Due to the fact that onigirazu is very similar to a sandwich with nori as the outside layer for easy holding, onigirazu is a great option for a quick bite or lunch.

Make your own onigirazu

Enough chit chat about all the greatness of onigirazu, let’s make some! Below are two different yet very tasty onigirazu recipes. For both recipes, you can easily swap out the white rice for brown rice or even sushi rice based on your preference. The beauty of making your food is that you can easily alter the dish to your liking.

Teriyaki Chicken Onigirazu

This recipe is for those who want a flavorful sushi sandwich with some Japanese teriyaki chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 Nori Sheet
• 1 Large Egg
• Some Lettuce Leaves
• 1 Slice of Chicken Breast or Thigh Meat
• 1 Bowl of Cooked Rice
• 1 Big Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
• 1 Big Tablespoon of Honey
• 1 Big Tablespoon of Sake
• 1 Big Tablespoon of Mirin
• Mayonnaise (optional)
• 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

1. Marinade the chicken: put the chicken into a plastic bag and then pour in the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and honey. After sealing the plastic bag, gently massage the chicken meat. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.
2. Using leftover rice is a great choice. If not, cook the rice beforehand and let it cool a bit.
3. Remove the marinade teriyaki and then bake until cooked.
4. Fried an egg with olive oil and some salt and pepper.
5. Lay down the nori with the shiny side facing down looking like a diamond shape on a sheet of plastic wrap.
6. Place half of the rice in the center of the nori and the place a few leaves of lettuces.
7. Slice the teriyaki chicken in favorable sizes and then place on top of the lettuces and then drizzle mayonnaise
8. Place the egg over the chicken and then layer lettuces then the remaining rice over.
9. Fold in the corners of the nori and wrap up with the plastic wrap. Tightly press it together.
10. Slice the sushi sandwich in half and your lunch is done!

Vegan Choice Sushi Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 Nori Sheet
• 1 Block of Firm Tofu (drained)
• 1 Sliced Avocado
• 1 Bowl of Cooked Rice
• 25 Grams Baby Spinaches
• 1 Cup of All-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoon of Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
• Sriracha Sauce
• Frying Oil
• Salt and Pepper

1. Prepare the rice, you can either use leftover rice or cook rice and let it cool. If you want to use sushi rice, check out the sushi rice recipe here.
2. Slice the firm tofu into 1cm thick halves. Please drain before hand as it takes time.
3. Mix cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper and then evenly coat the firm tofu.
4. Pour frying oil into a pan and heat up with medium-high heat before it smokes.
5. Gently places the tofu inside and fry. Flip often and keep frying until they turn golden brown.
6. Take out and remove excess oil with a paper towel or drain excess oil.
7. Place a plastic wrap with the nori in the middle, diamond shape recommended.
8. Place half a bowl of cooked rice in the center of the nori. Leaving enough space of nori so the 4 corners can fold in and cover it and some more.
9. Place sliced avocado, baby spinaches, tofu on top of the rice
10. Mix Soy sauce and sriracha together and drizzle over the tofu
11. Add some more baby spinaches and the seal it off with the remained rice
12. Fold in the nori corners
13. Use the plastic wrap to tightly, gently press the sushi sandwich together.
14. DONE! Just slice it in half and you will have a delicious and crispy tofu sushi sandwich.

Let’s Enjoy!

There are so many other onigirazu recipes out there, and you can even make up your own. The two recipes above are just a few options. You can be as creative as you want with your own onigirazu. I am sure you now know how effortless it is to make onigirazu. It is the perfect DIY lunch to bring the work, school, or even picnics. Hope you enjoyed learning about onigirazu and if you are looking for other simple sushi recipes, you should definitely check out sushi donut!

Top Sushi is a provider of premium sushi machines. We have a wide range of sushi machines, related machines, and accessories. In addition, we provide one to one consultation that ensures that you find the best sushi machine for your business. We are also happy to help you with additional information, tips and tricks on sushi, and many more customer services. If you are interested in any sushi machines or related machinery, please feel free to contact us.