Skip to main content

Vegan Yaki Onigiri (Japanese Grilled Rice Balls)

Warmer days they are a comin' and what's better to celebrate the Spring than a picnic! These Yaki Onigiri, or Japanese grilled rice balls, are the perfect treats to bring along - convenient to pack, easy to pick up and eat, delicious and nutritious! Of course, they'd also make a killer lunch box.

Onigiri is a traditional Japanese dish, made by forming rice into triangle or round balls, often wrapped with seaweed (nori). For fillings, the traditional options are usually tuna, salmon, pickles, or preserved cherry blossoms but vegan alternatives cannot be easier, I simply used teriyaki tofu and avocado. You can also use cucumber, peanuts, or carrots.

I added quinoa to the rice mixture and brushed the rice balls with a little homemade teriyaki sauce before pan-frying them for extra flavors! If you like sushi you'd definitely like this treat, and I'd also recommend Sushi Sandwiches, which is another fun and convenient option. 


INGREDIENTS:

Rice -

1 cup sushi rice

1/4 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 tablespoon sushi vinegar or white vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener of choice

nori sheets, cut into strips

Teriyaki Sauce -

1/2 cup Tamari/Soy sauce

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoon coconut amino

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1/2 tablespoon arrowroot powder or corn starch

Fillings -

1 block extra-firm tofu

2 tablespoon Tamari/Soy sauce

1 tablespoon coconut amino

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Oil for cooking

1 avocado


TO MAKE:

- Rinse the rice and quinoa thoroughly, and if you have a rice cooker use it! If not, transfer cleaned rice, quinoa and water to a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat, let it simmer for 20 minutes till the liquid is completely absorbed, turn off the heat and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes with the cover still on;

- When rice is done, season with vinegar and sugar, set aside;

- Drain and pat dry the tofu, cut into 1/2 inch slices, in a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil, fry till both sides are golden crispy;

- Mix the seasoning for the tofu, pour into the pan, coat the tofu slices evenly and turn off the heat till the liquid gets sticky, let the tofu cool down and chop the slices into small bits;

- Halve the avocado, and finely dice it;

- In an onigiri mold, lay down a layer of rice, add tofu bits and avocado in the center, add on another layer of rice, press down with the lid, de-mold the rice ball, repeat till all rice is used up;

- In a sauce pan, heat all the teriyaki sauce ingredients over low heat, till it bubbles and the consistency gets thick;

- Brush both sides of the rice ball with teriyaki sauce, in a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of oil, pan fry each side for about 3 minutes till a crispy crust is formed;

- Wrap nori strips onto the rice balls while they're still hot, serve hot or cold, enjoy!

Popular posts from this blog

Vegan Napa Cabbage Rolls with Tofu Stuffings

These napa cabbage rolls are almost like vegan dumplings but without having to make any dough. The stuffings are hearty, savory, and "meaty", wrapped in sweet and juicy napa cabbage leaves that are pan-seared to give them a little golden color and charred flavor, and finally dressed in a shiny, umami, garlicky sauce. Cabbage rolls are widely loved in many parts of the world - Central, Northern, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe and much of Asia, as well as parts of North Africa. But of course, they're made differently from region to region. In China, in particular, cabbage rolls are usually made with napa cabbage, as opposed to cannonball cabbage, commonly known as green cabbage. They're then stuffed with minced pork and vegetables and finished by steaming or pan-fring. To make a vegan version, I used tofu, brown rice, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, and scallions but the combination is highly adaptable. This is a perfect chance to use up any scraps of veggies in your fri

Rice Paper Sushi Rolls with Teriyaki Tofu and Veggies

When crispy rice paper rolls and sushi rolls have a baby - then we have something that has the best of both worlds. These rice paper sushi rolls are a perfect combination of earth and ocean, crispy chewy rice paper brings the aroma of the earth, seaweed brings the taste of the ocean, then filled with umami teriyaki tofu, homemade vegan mayo, and fresh veggies. If you ever feel "bored" with your food or cooking, try combining a few things you love and creating something new! These rolls are the kind of magic where 1 plus 1 is greater than 2! They are naturally gluten-free, very well balanced in nutrition with loads protein, carbs, vitamins, and fiber... packed full of flavors and layers of texture. When it comes to rice paper, a very common complaint is "why is my rice paper roll soggy/not crispy/leaking". Well rice paper is a wonderfully versatile ingredient to work with and once you get the hang of it it's super easy to get that golden crispy crust every single

Miso Glazed Eggplants - Umami and Addicting

These miso eggplants are seared, glazed, and finally baked to perfection. They're literally bursting with umami, juicy, savory, tenderer than a baby's cheek, and just melt in your mouth. They're definitely a rice-killer - meaning so much rice is gonna be devoured up with this flavorful and addicting dish. But they're also lovely just on their own. Eggplant is one of my absolute favorite vegetables growing up, even during my fussy eating teenager years I never ever turned my back on eggplants. And rightfully so. They have such an amazing texture plus a unique aroma. Scoring the eggplant really helps release the yummy potential of them, the texture will get cooked tender and soft easier and the scored patterns will soak up the sauce and glaze all the way from top to the skin. And if being downright delicious is not enough, eggplant is also a very humble and easy ingredient to use, I can't even imagine how eggplants can ever go wrong. When I was little, sometimes my mo

Vegan Tofu Salmon Rice Bowl with Homemade Vegan Mayo

This mind-blowing tofu "salmon bowl" is my favorite lunch bowl ever and I myself make it at least once a week. Perfectly seasoned and slightly charred tofu "salmon", broken apart and mixed into a bowl of steamy rice, topped with sweet chili sauce and creamy homemade vegan kewpie mayo, and finally all wrapped in a piece of crispy seaweed - it's land and ocean, nutrition and flavor, all in one bite. You might know this bowl as an internet "trend" but for me and I believe many other Eastern Asian kids, it's a childhood memory. I grew up in a coastal city right on the beach and crispy seaweed is a snack our household always had in abundance, they're just so delicious, available, cheap, and actually healthy. And before anyone even had to teach me, I started using crispy seaweed to pick up steamed rice, I’d even skip the chopsticks and just use my fingers to pinch up the rice and whatever I mixed in it for that meal with the seaweed. I love the feeli

Pan Fried Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings with Vegan Fillings

Happy year of the tiger! Dumplings are a must for me on the Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year and these rice dumplings are the ultimate lazy and easy version. They're stuffed with a savory and "meaty" tofu veggie filling and then pan-fried till golden crispy. And to make the experience even more satisfying, serve them with some sizzling scallion chili oil! Rice papers are such a perfect "cheat" to make easy dumplings. No need to mix flour, knead the dough, then roll out the wrappers, simply dip rice papers in some warm water, cut them into shapes, and start wrapping. The texture is more like the "crystal dumplings" you would get at a dim sum restaurant - the skins would be translucent and chewy and if pan-fried, super crispy! For the fillings, I used a mixture of tofu and vegetables but this is highly adaptable! You can use up any scraps of veggies in your fridge and use any protein base you like - tofu, mashed lentils, or even crumbled tempeh. And i

Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings with Tofu Napa Cabbage Fillings and Chili Oil Dip

Literal little satisfaction bombs - these pan-fried rice paper dumplings are golden crispy on the outside, chewy and pillowy in the middle, and filled with savory, juicy, and umami fillings inside. They're also super quick and easy to make, you won't need to make or knead any dough, and all the ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten-free. There are few heat-intensive recipes I'm willing to make in the current over 100°F weather, and these rice paper dumplings are definitely one of them and they're worth every little bit of effort you put into cooking - the amount of satisfaction is unmatched and it just hits the spot every single time. The fillings are inspired by my previous personal favorite before I went vegan, which is pork and napa cabbages. It was not just my favorite, it's my entire biological family's favorite. Growing up, I have had homemade dumplings frequently on various occasions or just no special occasion at all, and my family is very crea

Teriyaki Tofu with Seaweed Belt (Vegan Teriyaki "Eel")

This easy teriyaki seaweed-wrapped tofu takes little time or effort to make but packs so much depth and flavor! The tofu is cooked to the perfect texture - golden crispy on the outside and tender on the inside then coated in a luscious sauce. You can never go wrong with a good teriyaki sauce and trust me you don't need to buy those premade teriyaki sauces that always contain so much sugar and whatever else. It's so simple to make your own and you can customize your homemade sauce blend to be exactly how you like it. I like mine umami, savory, with a subtle sweetness. This sauce can be used in so many dishes, simple vegetable stir fries, chow mein noodles, or of course, tofu! Whenever I'm using a rich sauce that will get sticky after cooking like this, I always love to coat the tofu in starch and get a crispy crust on them first because they will pick up the sauce so much better and as well as create an amazing contrast between the sticky coat and crispy bite. I also wrapped

Gochujang Cauliflower Wings (Vegan Gluten Free)

Sweet, spicy, and sticky, these gochujang cauliflower wings are literally finger-licking good, as in I totally licked my fingers clean after each piece lol. They're coated in a gluten-free batter, cooked in an air fryer for that golden crispy crust, and then coated in a luscious gochujang based sauce. In case you couldn't tell, these gochujang glazed cauliflower wings are inspired by one of my former favorite Korean dishes ever - the sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken! And like the Korean fried chicken, these have just the same kind of crispy crunchy "skin" with a rich sauce that brings together all my favorite flavors into one gorgeous bite, sweet, savory, spicy, tangy... I'm literally reminiscing them already as I type. To make this recipe gluten-free, I used oat flour for the batter and puffed organic brown rice instead of panko bread crumbs. They turned out just as crispy if not more, the puffed rice added such a nice crunch to the crust! For cooking, you ca

Kimchi Pancake, Vegan and Gluten-Free

Kimchi pancake, or Kimchijeon, is a widely loved classic Korean dish, it's like a savory pancake filled with fermented napa cabbage and other veggies, golden crispy on the exterior and soft and chewy on the inside. It's one of my top comfort dishes but now even better - because these are vegan, Gluten-free, and high-protein! I feel like I'm on a quest to not only veganize all of my favorite dishes but also to make them all gluten-free! Technically I'm not "allergic" to gluten, as in eating gluten won't cause me any life-threatening illness, however, gluten does irritate my body, especially my skin, I would get rashes literally the next day if I had eaten too much wheat product. Luckily I figured out a perfect gluten-free flour mixture to substitute the traditional all-purpose flour in kimchi pancakes and as a bonus, this method also makes them much higher in protein! With the high protein batter, I can justify eating these heavenly treats as a whole meal a

Easy Vegan Mayonnaise with Silken Tofu

This super easy vegan mayonnaise is silky, creamy, and tastes like Kewpie mayo! It's made of 100% whole food plant ingredients, high in protein, without any excessive amount of fat or oil,  and would be ready literally within minutes. To be honest, I never liked the idea of raw eggs in traditional mayonnaise, I mean raw eggs whipped with an insane amount of oil... yuck. However, I did like its rich, creamy texture, which could be critical in many dishes. The good news is this easy vegan version comes with all the familiar yumminess with no sanitary problems. This mayo can keep in the fridge for up to one week, use an airtight container and only use clean utensils to take the sauce out if needed. I recommend making this recipe in small batches. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 pacakge (8 oz) silken tofu 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon white miso paste 1 lemon, juiced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoon maple syrup, adjust to your preferred sweetness Pinch of salt TO MAKE: - Gently drain the tofu