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Learn how to make your own onigizaru sushi sandwiches, then check out our salmon sushi sandwiches, sushi rolls, wakame seaweed salad, chirashi sushi and california rolls.

FOOD TREND: ONIGIZARU SUSHI SARNIES

Sushi is one of our favourite fast foods, and a lunchtime staple here at olive HQ – thanks to its protein- and carb-rich, omega-3 friendly, delicious credentials. But if you’re eating on the hoof – balancing a tray precariously on your lap in a park, or trying to avoid soy splashback aldesko – then the sushi sandwich could be for you.

Known as onigirazu in Japan, these rice bundles, wrapped in nori seaweed, are not only (generally) gluten and dairy free, but easily adaptable to whatever filling takes your fancy, and are far easier to master at home, compared to, say, maki or nigiri.

We were reminded just how great this invention is by London sushi start-up, Norigami (pictured below). Its colourful sarnies take inspiration from around the globe – with anything from vegan curry and miso-roasted salmon, to chermoula chicken and egg chorizo.

We’ve kept our version, to make at home, fairly traditional – but the world’s your onigirazu, so get experimenting!

Norimagi

Ingredients

  • 150g sushi rice
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 4 sheets nori
  • ½ carrot, shredded
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 150g sashimi-grade tuna, sliced (see notes below)
  • finely chopped to make 4 tbsp pickled ginger
  • ¼ cucumber, deseeded and sliced into half moons
  • to serve wasabi paste
  • to serve soy sauce

Method

  • STEP 1

    Cook the sushi rice following pack instructions. Tip out onto a plate, sprinkle with the rice vinegar and a little seasoning, then leave to cool.

  • STEP 2

    Meanwhile, lay a piece of clingfilm on a worksurface and put a nori sheet on top, with one of the corners nearest you. Using clean, wet hands, separate the rice into 8 even piles, then take one and shape into an 8cm square in the middle of the nori sheet – it should be roughly 1cm thick.

  • STEP 3

    Add roughly 1/4 of the carrot, avocado, tuna, ginger and cucumber on top, in single layers. Shape another square of rice and place on top. Fold up the corners of the nori wrap to completely enclose the rice, using a little water to seal the sandwich completely, then wrap tightly in the clingfilm. Repeat with the others, then chill until needed. To serve, cut in half and serve with wasabi and soy sauce for dipping.

Watch our 20-second video for the easiest way to stone an avocado...

When eating raw fish, seek out sushi - or sashimi-grade from your fishmonger.

Discover more of our best Japanese recipes here...

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