When somebody is going to tell me that I’m wasting my time for nothing I’m gonna show them the picture of these vegan onigiri. These cuties are filled with smoked vegan salmon – basically marinated carrot.

I tried this kind of carrot salmon in a restaurant and was quite impressed how similar the taste was. So this seemed like a right filling for my vegan onigiri.

I was a bit scared to make them for the first time. But actually it isn’t hard at all. It is fun and even relaxing. Don’t rush and you’ll make it too.

Plan ahead to make vegan smoked “salmon” filling.

Steam whole carrots for about 25 minutes until tender.

Let it cool and then peel. Slice carrots into very thin pieces. You can use vegetable peeler for that.

Mix all ingredients for marinade. Put sliced carrots into airtight container. Cover with marinade and place in refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days for best results.

Give it a little stir once or twice per day.

Now we are going to make vegan onigiri.

Rinse rice under water several times until water comes out clear. Drain it and place into a pot.

Cover the rice with fresh water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to minimum and cook covered for 15 minutes.

Switch off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then fluff the rice with a fork, cover again and let it rest for another 5 min.

Add salt and vinegar, mix and let it cool down to a room temperature. Rice should be covered to keep the moisture.

To assemble onigiri first organize your working place. Keep a bowl of salty water on a side to wet your hands. This will prevent the rice from sticking. Cut nori sheet into strips.

Take about 3 tsp of rice and form the ball. Flatten the ball and make a small hole in a middle. Place marinated carrot inside and cover with extra rice. Don’t put too much filling. Form a triangle and wrap it with nori strip.

Continue with remaining rice.

Vegan onigiri with smoked “salmon”

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Little cute vegan onigiri with smoked “salmon” filling.

Author: Anastasia
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 6 pieces 1x
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

Scale

For smoked “salmon”:

2–3 medium carrots
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp neutral oil
2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp umeboshi vinegar
1 tbsp water

For vegan onigiri:

1 cup sushi rice
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 nori sheet

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Instructions

For vegan smoked “salmon”:

Steam whole carrots for about 25 minutes until tender.
Let it cool and then peel. Slice carrots into very thin pieces. You can use vegetable peeler for that.
Mix all ingredients for marinade. Place the carrots into airtight container. Cover with marinade and place in refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days for best results.
Give it a little stir once or twice per day.

For onigiri:

Rinse rice under water several times until water comes out clear. Drain it and place into a pot.
Cover the rice with fresh water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to minimum and cook covered for 15 minutes.
Switch off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then fluff the rice with a fork, cover again and let it rest for another 5 min.
Add salt and vinegar, mix and let it cool down to a room temperature. Rice should be covered to keep the moisture.
To assemble onigiri first organize your working place. Keep a bowl of salty water on a side to wet your hands. This will prevent the rice from sticking. Cut nori sheet into strips.
Take about 3 tsp of rice and form the ball. Flatten the ball and make a small hole in a middle. Place marinated carrot inside and cover with extra rice. Don’t put too much filling. Form a triangle and wrap it with nori strip.
Continue with remaining rice.

Notes

Taste your carrots from time to time while they are marinating. Add more salt or soy sauce if needed.

Use sushi rice varieties. Other rice won’t stick and your onigiri will fall apart.

Vegan onigiri with smoked “salmon”