Recipe: Onigirazu – Seaweed Rice hamburger

Yesterday I made something easy and delicious and I thought it is nice to share the recipe with you. I call it the Seaweed Rice hamburger. And it is inspired by the Onigirazu from Japan, which I saw in a cooking video of Eat Your Kimchi. They also serve it as this new brunch place in Amsterdam: Slowth Brunch. A store also created by industrial designers, like Round & Round.

Ingredients for 2 persons (25 min):

• 1 cup of rice (prepare the rice before making the dish)
• Pack of seaweed (nori/gim)
• 300 gram minced pork (lean; less fat and water)
• 1 onion
• 1 spring onion
• 4 leafs of Chinese cabbage

Taste makers: (you can also use your favorite spices to give the meat taste)

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon 5 spices
• Pinch of pepper
• 1 tea spoon sugar
• 1 table spoon mirin (I have no idea what mirin does to the meat, but I often see it used in Japanese recipes. I think it’s like alcohol or something. Ah yes, internet says it is sweet rice wine.)

Step 1: Cut everything
Dice the onions. Cut the spring onion. Cut the Chinese cabbage in small slices.

Step 2: mix it all
Mix the Chinese cabbage with the minced meat and all the taste makers (salt, sugar, pepper etc.). I used my hand to kneed the meat, makes the meat less chunky.

 

Step 3: Sauté onions
Sauté the onions and spring onions till the onions are a bit transparent.

 

Step 4: Sauté everything
Add the meat mixture to the onions. Sauté till the meat is white and not red anymore.

 

Step 5: wrap in seaweed
Take a seaweed. Put some rice in the middle. Add a layer of meat, add a layer of rice and fold the seaweed like origami. Turn it around and you have a nice package.

Mine exploded a bit. You can also make a roll of it. Add some Japanese mayonnaise for extra flavor. Tip: you can put any filling inside: chicken, egg tomato, tuna, veggies… I think all will taste nice. It’s like a triangle gimbap or onigiri.

Enjoy!