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Vegan Onigirazu Sushi Sandwich with Glazed Tofu

This easy version of onigirazu, aka rice sandwich or rice ball, is made using the viral tortilla folding hack and is absolutely fail-safe and beginner-friendly! The filling combo possibility is endless and I used purple rice, homemade kewpie mayo, sweet and spicy glazed tofu, veggies, and chips for this one here.

Show me a life-changing hack you never knew existed but now can't live without! For me it's this easy folding hack, which was originally meant for tortillas but I've since used this method on nori way more often. And I first made an onigirazu using this folding hack with teriyaki tofu and created a more umami flavor profile, check out the recipe linked here for that version!

They're just the perfect lunch in all aspects - quick and easy to make, packed with flavors, and nutritionally balanced with protein, carbs, fibers, vitamins, and healthy fat. I make them on repeat at least once a week to a point that I just have to create a new flavor combo! So this one has a little more sweet and spicy taste on top of umami.

Instead of white sushi rice I "spiced it up" a little bit with purple rice, which is just the magic that happens when you mix white rice and black forbidden rice, and it doesn't just add a fun color but also much more aroma and chewiness than plain white rice! For the tofu, I pan-fried them till golden crispy and glazed them with a sweet, spicy, and sticky gochujang glaze. 

Watch the video below and you'll see just how easy it is to make this fun and yummy lunch! Refer to the written recipe for the exact measurements. And don't forget to follow me on Instagram and Tiktok where I'm more active ^^


INGREDIENTS:

*makes 4 onigirazu

1 rice cooker cup of white sushi rice

1/4 rice cooker cup of black forbidden rice

1 16oz block of extra firm tofu

1 avocado, sliced

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Lettuce as needed 

Chips of choice, I used chickpea chips

Homemade Silken Tofu Mayo, or vegan mayo of choice

4 nori sheet

Canola oil or other heat-safe cooking oil


For the Gochujang glaze -

1 1/2 tablespoon Gochujang paste

1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon coconut amino

2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 - 2 teaspoon maple syrup, adjust to preferred sweetness

1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder or corn starch

2 tablespoon water to thin


TO MAKE:

- Make the purple rice first, mix the regular white sushi rice with black forbidden rice at a 4:1 ratio, and add 10 minutes to the white rice program on your rice cooker;

- Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch thick pieces, mix together all the glaze ingredients;

- In a nonstick pan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat, pan fry the tofu until both sizes are golden crispy, about 3-4 minutes for the first side and another 2-3 minutes for the other size;

- Once the tofu pieces are all golden brown, give the glaze another stir in case the arrowroot powder has settled at the bottom, slowly pour the sauce into the pan;

- Lower the heat immediately, swirl the pan around and flip the tofu pieces to coat them all evenly in the glaze;

- Once the glaze is thickened and "glued" onto the tofu, remove from heat;

- When ready to assemble the onigirazu, place one piece of nori onto your work surface, make a cut from the middle point of one edge to the center of the nori sheet;

- Press down some purple rice on a quarter of the nori, drizzle on some homemade vegan mayo, then a few tofu pieces to the next quarter;

- Then some lettuce and cucumber, finally the avocado slices and your favorite chips on the last quarter;

- Start folding where the cut is, fold one quarter onto the next one, until it become one thick square;

- Wrap it in some cling wrap, cut in halves diagonally, enjoy!


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