Onigiri w/ Ponzu-Marinated Avocado + Shichimi Togarashi
Onigiri are stuffed rice balls, a ubiquitous snack in Japan. These vegan onigiri are made with ponzu-marinated avocados and coated in spicy shichimi togarashi.
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Onigiri
- 2 Cups Japanese Short-Grain Rice
- 1/2 Cup Sprouts any kind will do
- 1 Tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Black Sesame Seeds
- 1 Tsp Shoyu
- A few drops of Ponzu
Ponzu-Marinated Avocado
- 1/2 Avocado diced
- 1 Tsp Ponzu see note
- Pinch of Black Sesame Seeds
Coating
- Shichimi Togarashi
- Black + White Sesame Seeds
- Nori sheets cut into strips
Onigiri
In a bowl, add rice, sprouts, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, and shoyu. Mix well.
Line a measuring cup with plastic wrap - I used 1/3 cup. Stuff the measuring cup partially with the rice and sprouts mix. Then, add in a small spoonful of the avocado filling in the middle. Top it off with more rice/sprouts mix and press down into the measuring cup.
Take onigiri out of the measuring cup and set aside. Repeat with the remaining rice and avocado filling.
Once you've made all the onigiri, spread some shichimi togarashi and sesame seeds onto a plate. If you don't have any shichimi on hand, more sesame seeds with do. Roll the onigiri on its side through the spice, then set aside. Repeat with all the remaining onigiri.
Cut the sheets of nori into strips. Wrap the strips halfway around the onigiri (see photos for reference), and cut off any excess nori.
Serve immediately - nori can get chewy if left out too long.
Enjoy!
If you don't have any Ponzu on hand, use a teaspoon of lime juice to marinate the avocados instead.
In addition, if you don't have any shichimi togarashi, you can mix sesame seeds with a pinch of red pepper flakes to create the spicy coating on the onigiri. But shichimi togarashi is highly recommended - you can purchase it here or at your local Asian market.