ramyaramesh3007These delicious vegan salmon rice balls are inspired by Japanese Onigiri and is an easy meal or snack that can be prepared in under 30 minutes.
A twist on the classic onigiri, also known as o-musubi which are Japanese rice balls made from cooked sushi rice, seasonings and at times, stuffed with fillings and wrapped in a roasted nori sheet. The first ever onigiri I’ve tried is one that I bought from a convenience store and was inspired by the famous Buddhist (Hakka) Thunder Tea Rice.
It was a triangle shaped rice ball stuffed with green tea leaves spiced tofu and other vegetables. Needless to say, it was very delicious.
These rice balls are also perfect for meal prep, and to bring into work or school lunches. They are incredibly easy to prepare because it merely involves combining the ingredients together and forming them into balls or triangular shapes for easy consumption (they even have moulds now you can use to make the process easier!).
What do I need to make these?
If you are intent on making Asian recipes, this recipe mostly uses pantry staples. The only thing I had to go out of my way to find was vegan mayo which is quite important for this dish.
These are some of the items you need:
- Cooked sushi rice – you can cook this from scratch or get a microwaveable rice packet which you can prepare in less than 2 minutes!
- Extra firm tofu – a staple protein that is accessible and versatile. I shredded the tofu to recreate ‘salmon’ flakes.
- Gochujang – a korean spicy chili paste. You can adjust according to spice tolerance. Unfortunately, this is not gluten free so you can substitute it with a chili paste of your choice.
- Sesame oil and sesame seeds – for that toasty flavour profile
- Chili oil – this optional, but it packs an extra punch. I used Japanese Chili Oil (La-yu)
- Scallions and other sauces – soy sauce, mirin and vegan mayo
Can I make this gluten free?
To make this recipe gluten free, all you have to do is swap out your gochujang to a gluten free chili paste or more 1/2 tbsp chili oil.
Spicy Salmon Sushi Rice Balls
Ingredients
Vegan 'Salmon'
- 200 g extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Sushi Rice Balls
- 400 g cooked rice
- 1/2 tbsp gochujang (adjust according to spice tolerance)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili oil
- 1/3 cup chopped spring onions
- 1/2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1.5 tbsp vegan mayo
- 1/2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1/2 tbsp white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare your rice. This recipe works best with leftover rice – I used a microwaveable korean rice to make it in just under 2 minutes!
- Shred your tofu. Add some oil to a pan, your tofu and fry for a few minutes.
- Add your sauces and spices and let it fry until it browns.
- Combine the rice, tofu, the rest of the ingredients and mix them until well combined.
- Roll them into balls, top with more sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
- To make this recipe gluten free, remember to swap out your gochujang to a gluten free chili paste or more 1/2 tbsp chili oil.Â