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.
Ingredients
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
Instructions
Ponzu-Marinated Avocado
- Start by marinating the avocado - dice avocado, and mix in a bowl with 1 tsp ponzu. Let sit while you prep the onigiri.
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!
Notes
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.
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.