Do you know the onigirazu, this easy, fresh and transportable maki-burger? Here is the recipe

In the series “Anthony can’t help but tell his life story when he talks about food”, after the red onion pickles that change my transit, then my love for flowers that motivate the creation of non-alcoholic cocktails, here my difficulty thinking about eating.

When I was little, I went on hunger strike as a demonstration when I didn’t agree with my parents. When my mother wanted me to eat horse meat, I gave myself a sign ” No to hippophagy on my bedroom door and refused to go out for hours. Or I would make myself vomit on command when I had to go to the gym. In short, I already was unbearable a petty activist, and unsurprisingly he has had a troubled relationship with food ever since.

In my career as a journalist I have been a freelancer for a long time: I worked from home for several editorial offices, managing my agenda as I thought best, without an office with a space dedicated to the lunch break. Suddenly, I forgot all the time to eat, too busy toiling. Pandemic-related blockages haven’t helped my eating problems, so unless I’m working face-to-face in Madmoizelle (where, as soon as someone mentions food, my ears come alive because: my body needs food to function. , indeed), I still skip food often.

Against this, I often put alarm clocks on my phone, and above all I invite people to lunch, because if I love to cook for others, it depresses me terribly to cook just for myself. Against this last point, I often indulge in recipes whose process seems fun to me : making wraps filled with lots of colorful things, non-alcoholic cocktails with lots of ingredients that still float inside them, or even the most aesthetically pleasing spring rolls possible. And my latest discovery that made me want to cook for myself and think about eating is onigirazu!

What is an onigirazu, this delicious, fresh and easy-to-carry “hamburger-maki”?

It is a kind of Japanese rice sandwich, found in many street food stores in Asia and beyond.which could roughly be summed up as a perfect mix of maki, onigiri and burger (I also had my bao-burger period, but it’s much longer and more complicated, so I’m not even telling you).

The onigirazu is easy and quick to cook, visually appetizing, it can be kept for a few days in the refrigerator and above all practical to carry. at lunch in the office (and showing off in front of colleagues with his lunch box) or a picnic. Like this eaten cold, it is all the more pleasant when you don’t necessarily want to enjoy something hot, which often happens in summer For instance.

Basically, the result layer by layer gives: nori sheet, rice, toppings (carrots, cucumbers, baby spinach, delicious Taifun mango curry tofu and red onion pickles, that’s what I always do for example), rice, and re-nori.

However, we come to the preparation of onigirzu.

The basic ingredients for 4 onigirazus

• 400 grams of sushi rice
• 60 ml or 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar which also works)
• 2 tablespoons of sweetener (white, brown, coconut sugar, xylitol, honey, maple or agave syrup: the sweetener for you, what)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or soy sauce, or tamari)
• Raw vegetables of your choice (avocado, carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage and lettuce for example)
• Protein (tofu, white or red beans or crushed chickpeas, or eggs cooked in an omelette, for example)
• Clear plastic film such as cellophane or bee film

Easily whip up sushi rice, cooking and seasoning

First let’s choose a good Japanese rice (Easily found in Asian or organic stores, or in the “world cuisine” section of conventional convenience stores): Its high starch content helps it get just the right amount of stickiness. Alternatively, the risotto can do the trick. Otherwise, basmati rice can help you, but don’t come crying if it doesn’t hold up well.

So we wash it at least 3 times. Put your rice in a large bowl and rub it roughly between your hands, pouring water over it, then empty the water, before repeating the operation two more times. People who don’t wash rice, I can’t trust them, I don’t want to know anything.

Then, the coarsely washed and drained rice is transferred to a saucepan to cover it with 400ml of water. (if you are too lazy to measure: cover the rice + 1 knuckle of water, or count 4 volumes of water for 4 volumes of rice). Cook covered over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat. Once cooked, it is important to let it rest with the lid on for another 10 minutes!

While the rice rests, take the opportunity to prepare the dressing. Basically, 4 tablespoons of vinegar (as I am a miserly king of optimization, I take the juice from my pickles, gives a pink tinge to the rice, I love it), 2 tablespoons of sweetener, 1 teaspoon of salt (or a tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari) to mix over low heat for 2 -3 minutes.

Then pour the rested rice into a large dish (such as au gratin) or a salad bowl in order to pour the vinegar dressing over it and mix it with a wide flat spatula, helping it to cool, and it’s ready! If you have successfully cooked your rice, the hardest part is now behind you.

The steps to make onigirazus

Prepare the fillings so they fit nicely on a flat bun. Then cut into strips what would benefit from it: your raw vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, red cabbage, pickles, avocado), your proteins (legumes, tofu, omelette, marinated raw fish or other) and everything else that makes you want others.

Spread cling film (cellophane) or bee-shaped cling film on the work surface a little larger than the size of your algae sheet. Put your nori on top. In the center (about 1/4 of the surface) lay a layer of rice, then a little of all the seasoning. Then close with another layer of rice. Then, fold the nori over your rice sandwich. It does not need to be folded perfectly because then you will close everything tightly in cellophane or in a bee wrap. The goal: that the humidity of the fillings and of the rice “seals” the nori, so that it does not open when unwrapped from the film.

Once your little onigirzu has been crafted, it is important to let it rest in its foil for at least 15 minutes. for the magic to work. And it’s ready to eat! All you need to do is remove the foil and cut it in half to reveal the inside.

2 videos to better visualize how to cook onigirazus successfully

To better visualize how to cook onigirazusthis video by the vegetarian and gourmet YouTuber is particularly educational and stimulating (note the technique of using a quarter of nori seaweed as a guide to know which place our filling can occupy during the making of the onigirazu).

Otherwise, this video of Chez Jigmé goes much faster on the side of the pack, but gives more ideas for fillings if you like:

Now it’s your turn to have fun!

Photo credit: © YouTube screenshot Chez Jigmé.