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Shio momi - Cabbage and Kelp salad Here's a really tasty way to enjoy cabbage....hello, are you still with me? Yes, cabbage. I know a lot of people associate cabbage with a soggy mush on their dinner plate in childhood but it just doesn't have to be like that! If your parents ever told you, "eat your cabbage!", they were giving you very good advice - cabbage is brimful of good things like vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese and folate. (OK, so your parents might not have served your cabbage in the most appealing way but their heart really was in the right place). So, let's give cabbage the preparation it deserves and turn it into a zesty, crunchy bowl of goodness that anyone can enjoy. This recipe uses a Japanese technique called shio momi - this involves adding salt to the raw, fresh cut cabbage and letting it stand for a while which softens the fibres and allows you to extract some of the water content from the vegetable by squeezing it. (Meaning no more soggy cabbage). Using sushi vinegar gives the cabbage a lovely zesty flavour and the kelp gives the dish just a hint of umami. This makes a great side dish with something like Tonkatsu or Chicken Karaage. If you'd like to try this out, you can find the written recipe just below and for the Youtube tutorial click Shio Momi Cabbage and Kelp salad or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you would like to pair this with another vegetable side dish, why not try my Cucumber and Wakame salad . Shio Momi Cabbage and Kelp salad ingredients: (makes 2 servings as a side dish) 1/2 (approx. 250g) sweetheart cabbage 1g dried kelp 1/2 tsp salt 3 tbsp sushi vinegar how to: rinse the cabbage well, then remove the stalk and thinly slice the leaves put the cabbage into a bowl, sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 30 mins meanwhile, wipe the kelp with wet kitchen paper and cut into thin strips using scissors after 30 mins, squeeze the cabbage to soften it, then add the kelp & vinegar and mix everything together well your marinated cabbage shio momi style is ready to serve Shio momi Cabbage and Kelp salad

Japanese Harusame salad Here's a light salad dish that's easy to make, healthy and, best of all, delicious! The main constituent is what the Japanese call harusame , which translates into English, somewhat poetically, as spring rain. (I f you can picture the way rain is depicted in a traditional Japanese print, you get the idea perhaps). Harusame are thin, almost transparent noodles. They're normally made of mung bean starch (which is why they're called bean thread noodles in China) which makes them a good low calorie option compared to egg noodles. Bean thread noodles also cook very quickly, in about 3 minutes. You can also find harusame made from potato & sweet potato. You can find them in Asian, Chinese and Japanese stores and most supermarkets in the UK as well as online. Along with the harusame, there's a dressing made from soy sauce and sesame oil and the vegetables are carrot and cucumber with a spring onion garnish. Try this and I think it'll become a regular, healthy favourite at your table! My recipe serves 2/3 people as a side salad but it would also make a healthy, light lunch for 2. You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese Harusame salad or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you're looking for alternatives, you could try out my Cold soba noodles with shiso and nori by clicking Zaru Soba . Harusame beanthread noodle salad ingredients: (makes 2 - 3 portions) 2 packets of bean thread noodles 80g cucumber 50g carrot 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds 1/4 chilli flakes 1 tbsp chopped spring onion for garnishing how to: boil the bean thread noodles for 3 mins drain and cut the noodles in half in lengthways halve the cucumber, remove & discard the seeds, then slice and cut into matchsticks thinly slice the carrot diagonally, then cut into matchsticks to make the dressing: add the rice vinegar, sugar & sesame oil to the soy sauce and mix well put the noodles in a bowl, add the cucumber, carrot, dressing, sesame seeds, chilli & mix well if you are not in hurry, stand them for 30 mins in order for the noodles to absorb the dressing mix again before serving, garnishing with the chopped spring onion Japanese Harusame salad

Salmon and Tuna Sushi Bowl We all deserve a nice treat now and again, don't we? Especially so in these strange times we're living through. When it comes to edible treats, there's nothing I like better than a bowl of sashimi! You might think it's too cold for sashimi but in fact it's eaten all through the year in Japan not just in warm weather. This dish is easy to make as long as you can get hold of some sashimi grade raw tuna and salmon - don't try this with supermarket fish as it may not be fresh enough! Just prepare some sushi rice (see my recipe for how to make this - it's easy peasy), then slice up your raw fish, add some seafood sticks, slices of cucumber and avocado and assemble it over your sushi rice and you're done - serve with a little soy sauce and wasabi and you'll be in Japanese food nirvana! You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Salmon and Tuna Sushi bowl or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want a communal sashimi dish, why not try my Tuna and Salmon Sashimi Poke bowl ? Salmon and Tuna Sushi bowl ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 450g cooked Japanese rice* 2 tbsp sushi vinegar 130g sashimi grade fresh salmon 130g sashimi grade fresh tuna 2 seafood sticks 3 small oba leaves (optional) 4 slices of cucumber 4 slices avocado *If you don’t have a rice cooker, see my “how to cook perfect Japanese rice in a saucepan” recipe how to: to make sushi rice, add the sushi vinegar to the cooked rice in a large bowl when the rice is still hot and mix well set aside to cool carefully slice the salmon and tuna thinly into 6-8 slices each (use your sharpest knife) cut the seafood sticks in half diagonally and shred the shiso leaves for garnishing place 1/2 of the sushi rice in a serving bowl, arrange half of the sliced salmon onto the rice, then lay 2 slices of avocado next to the salmon add half of the sliced tuna next to the avocado, then 2 slices of cucumber lastly place 2 pieces of seafood stick on the rice top with the shredded oba in the centre serve with soy sauce & wasabi Salmon and Tuna Sushi Bowl

Miso Salmon Poke bowl Poke bowl dishes are a bit of a think these days, aren't they? As I've said before on my blog, the origins of the poke bowl are a lot like the Japanese dish, "chirashi sushi" - a bed of rice scattered with the parts of a fisherman's catch that he didn't sell - you know, the offcuts and things like that. Taking that as the "old school" dish, lots of variants have been created over the past couple of years and now you can even find restaurants that specialise in selling poke style dishes. I like to think my latest recipe holds true to the origin of the poke bowl in that it is very much a fish dish. I try to vary the textures and flavours of a poke bowl so in this recipe you get a little spice, some miso, fresh crunchy pepper and some salty edamame. The spice I used here was Thai sriracha but you could use any chilli pepper sauce to create a little bit of heat. Once I created my flavours and textures, I arranged them on a bed of sushi rice. You can use plain steamed rice but I like to think the sushi rice just adds another flavour to the spectrum and makes your poke bowl a little richer. Whenever I make this, I see a lot of happy faces around the table, so I think I must be doing something right! If you want to give it a try, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Miso Salmon Poke bowl or scroll to the end of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For an alternative poke bowl dish with sashimi, why not try my Salmon and Tuna Poke bowl ? Miso Salmon Poke bowl ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1/2 yellow bell pepper 6 seafood sticks 1 tbsp mayonnaise a little sriracha (any chilli sauce) 300g salmon fillets 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil for the miso sauce: 3 tbsp cooking sake 2 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp miso 100g frozen edamame 1/2 tsp salt 2 portions of cooked sushi rice (you can use plain rice if you wish) (see my “how to make sushi rice” recipe on the site) 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional) 2 baby tomatoes (optional) how to: slice & chop the bell pepper chop the seafood sticks. make a spicy mayo by mixing the mayonnaise with a little sriracha (or a similar chilli sauce). mix with the chopped seafood sticks heat the veg oil in a frying pan and fry the salmon fillets (skin down) for 4-5 mins, turn & cook for further 4 mins now to make the miso sauce: put the cooking sake, sugar & miso in a pan, stir & simmer for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated cook the edamame with salt in boiling water for 3-4 mins, then drain & set aside remove the salmon skin, then gently break up the salmon and add the miso sauce, mixing well to assemble, put a serving of sushi rice in a bowl, place 1/2 of the miso salmon, then 1/2 of edamame on the top. next, add the spicy mayo seafood, last add the chopped pepper garnish with a tomato and sprinkle over the sesame seeds (optional) Miso Salmon Poke bowl

Seafood stick Uramaki Sushi rolls Here's another "looks difficult but it's really not" recipe - seafood stick uramaki . Now, uramaki, as you'll already know if you're reading my blog, means "inside-out roll" and they're also known in the US as a California maki or California roll because that is where they were first made. The story goes that a sushi bar owner in California was struggling to get the locals to eat nori seaweed - obviously, if you don't want to eat nori, sushi isn't going to be on your list of "want to eat" dishes. So, the sushi bar owner had the idea of concealing the nori by wrapping it in the sushi rice instead of vice versa and voila, the California roll was born. I don't know whether this is 100% true - I used to know an elderly sushi chef who had worked in California and he told me it was always difficult to get enough quality nori seaweed sheets - some of the sheets were sub-standard and used to split when rolled - so they were hidden inside the roll instead of on the outside to avoid having th discard them. I don't know which story is true but the fact is that inside out California rolls are popular, fun and great to eat - that's enough for me! Back to the recipe, these uramaki inside out rolls make great finger food for a party or a "bento" lunch. One good thing about this recipe is that the filling is nothing more than seafood stick & cucumber. So, you can practise and if you mess up, practice again without it costing very much at all! Another good thing is that there is no raw fish involved, so no difficulty in accessing the ingredients and nobody likely to say "no thank you" because they don't like raw fish. I used black sesame on the outside of these rolls but you could leave that out, or use white sesame if you prefer. Once you've rolled a good looking uramaki, just remember to keep your knife blade well wiped and wet after each cut, so that when you slice the roll into pieces, you get a nice clean finish. As always with sushi rolls, if you haven't tried rolling inside out rolls before, take a few minutes to watch the Youtube video tutorial to see what's involved - it's not difficult and once you've taken a look, I am sure you'll be able to master it! You can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube tutorial by clicking Seafood stick Uramaki inside out sushi roll or just scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy rolling! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to pair these inside out rolls with some other sushi, why not try my Salmon and Avocado Uramaki inside out Sushi rolls - you can find the recipe here . Seafood stick Uramaki Inside Out Sushi rolls ingredients: (makes 2 rolls / 12 - 14 pieces) 200g cooked sushi rice* 1 sheet of nori, halved 5 seafood sticks 1 cucumber 2 tsp of toasted black sesame seeds 1 sushi mat some cling film a bowl of water for keeping your blade wet when you slice the rolls) * you can find my recipe for how to make sushi rice on the recipes page under "sushi and sashimi" how to: unroll your sushi mat and wrap it tightly using 2 -3 layers of cling film (this will stop the rice sticking to the mat) cut the cucumber to the same size as the width of the nori sheet and then cut it into very matchsticks wet your hands & spread 1/2 the rice over a 1/2 nori sheet in a thin layer sprinkle 1 tsp of sesame seeds over the rice and then gently turn the sheet over on the mat place 2.5 seafood sticks lengthways across the nori sheet about 2 cm up from the lower edge place strips of cucumber either side of then seafood sticks now to roll the sushi: hold the bottom of the mat with your thumbs and roll the lower edge of the mat over to form the sushi roll - you can keep the seafood stick and cucumber in place with your index fingers if needs be once the roll os formed, give the roll a little, light squeeze with your fingers to make sure it is well formed cut the sushi rolls into 6 - 7 pieces, wetting your knife between cuts to stop the rice sticking repeat this process again for the second roll your inside out rolls are now ready. serve with small bowls of soy sauce and wasabi Seafood stick Uramaki Sushi rolls

Chicken sauce Katsudon I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that katsu are one of the most popular Japanese dishes, both in Japan and abroad. Most people think of pork (AKA Tonkatsu) when they hear the word katsu but in Japan, you'll find them made with chicken, beef and even tofu. If you visit a specialist katsu restaurant, normally known as a "tonkatsu-ya", you'll not only find katsu on the menu but also "sauce katsudon" which means that your katsu will be delivered in a bowl perched on a blanket of shredded cabbage laid over a thick bed of rice. As the name implies, the final act is to drizzle lots of Bulldog sauce (or the restaurant's special in-house version of Bulldog sauce). The recipe I've made here is for Chicken sauce katsudon. All in all, this makes a tasty and very substantial one bowl dish which will leave no appetite unsatisfied. Here in the UK, when I make any sauce katsudon, I use lettuce instead of cabbage - Japanese cabbage is much softer than the cabbage here in the UK, so, because the point here is to match the crispy, chewy katsu with a soft vegetable, I use shredded lettuce as a substitute. From start to finish, this recipe takes around 30-45 mins to produce - just cook your rice in advance. This is a dish I think you really should try out! If you want to do so, you can find the written recipe just below and for the youtube tutorial click Chicken sauce Katsudon or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to try a non-meat Katsu, take a look at my Aubergine Katsu recipe here . Chicken sauce Katsudon ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 chicken breasts 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 1 egg 40g plain flour 50g ‘panko’ breadcrumbs 150g lettuce* 450g cooked japanese rice some Bull-Dog sauce 1/2 lemon 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional) cling film veg oil for deep frying some kitchen paper *shredded soft cabbage is always served with katsudon in Japan, however the cabbage available in uk is, i find, quite hard, so I use lettuce here instead. how to: finely shred the lettuce wrap the chicken breasts in cling film, place on a chopping board & tenderise with a rolling pin or steak mallet (the objective is to soften the flesh not to beat it very thin, so this should only take 20-30 seconds for each chicken breast) coat the breasts in the plain flour, dip in the beaten egg, then coat well with breadcrumbs heat 2cm of veg oil in a sauce pan, heat to 180’C and deep fry the “katsu” for 2 mins on each side (be sure to adjust the heat to stop the oil getting too hot) turn and fry the katsu for 2 mins more each side (the frying time may need adjusting depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts) to assemble the katsudon, put 1/2 the rice in each of your two serving bowls bowl & cover with a bed of lettuce cut the katsu into 1cm slices & place on the lettuce garnish with lemon wedges & sprinkle over the sesame, then drizzle with bull-dog sauce Chicken sauce Katsudon

Aubergine Katsu Aubergine ("Nasu" in Japanese, in case you were wondering), is a vegetable that the Japanese love. It's eaten a lot more in Japan than here in the UK. That's a shame because aubergines are full of good things - fibre, anti-oxidants and minerals - and they're ultra low in fat. Some people say they don't like the texture of aubergine (eggplant) but I think this recipe would persuade even the most ardent anti-aubergine (eggplant) agitator to change their ways - the breadcrumbs and the seasoning in this recipe lift the Aubergine (Eggplant) Katsu to another level - really - you get the crunchy texture of the panko breadcrumb crust followed by the softness of the aubergine flesh - taste-wise you get the rich taste of the coating and the subtle almost fruity taste of the aubergine beneath. Try it out and I think it will quickly become one of your go to recipes for a light and healthy lunch or supper dish. Of course, it is great for vegetarians and vegans as well. Served with a salad of green leaves, I honestly don't think you can do aubergine more justice than this. Are you keen to try this dish out? You can find the written recipe just below and for the Youtube tutorial click Aubergine Katsu or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. You could pair this recipe with Tofu katsu for a bit of a non-meat katsu feast. You can find the recipe for tofu katsu here . Aubergine Katsu ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 1 aubergine salt & pepper 80ml water 40g plain flour 40g “panko” breadcrumbs 1/2 lemon for garnishing Bull-Dog or brown sauce veg oil for deep frying kitchen paper how to: cut off both ends of the aubergine and then cut in half lengthways sprinkle some salt onto the flesh, then stand for 10 mins (this reduces the bitter tang) before rinsing the salt away mix the flour & water into a loose paste sprinkle some pepper over the aubergine flesh coat the aubergine with the flour mixture then, roll it in the breadcrumbs fill a pan 2-3cm of veg oil and deep fry the aubergine, turning once when the panko breadcrumb crust is golden in colour, remove the aubergine katsu from the pan to drain on some kitchen paper repeat with the remaining aubergine pieces your aubergine katsu are ready. garnish with Bull-Dog sauce & lemon wedges before serving Aubergine Katsu

Ebi Fry Here's one of Japan's favourite deep fried foods - ebi fry (pronounced "ebi furai" in the local tongue) - king prawns deep fried in breadcrumbs. here was a time back in the 1980s when this dish was so popular that Japan imported half of all the world's shrimp catch - amazing! Now the Japanese aren't quite so crazy for their king prawns these days but "ebi-furai' is still a staple of the dinner table, the bento box and the local "family restaurant". Not that there is any need to go out to eat these - they are dead easy to make in your own kitchen! Just get your king prawns, some "panko" breadcrumbs, an egg and some plain flour and you're set. The key to keeping your prawns straight is to make several little cuts along the inner side of the prawn before you start. Then press the prawn straight and you'll hear a little cracking sound. Do that and when you deep fry, your prawn won't curl up. Some cooks also snip the prawn tails straight before cooking but this is cosmetic and not a "must do" - I always leave mine untrimmed. The rest is easy and these can be ready in 20 minute - accompany with Bulldog sauce or a squeeze of lemon (or both). If you want to give this a try, you can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube tutorial by clicking Ebi Fry or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. If you like the sound of Ebi Fry and want something to go with it, why not try my Aubergine Katsu ? Ebi Fry ingredients: (makes 8 deep fried king prawns) 8 king prawns, peeled & deveined a little black pepper & salt 40g plain flour 1 small egg 50g panko breadcrumbs 1/2 lemon for garnishing Bull-dog sauce vegetable oil for deep frying some kitchen paper how to: make about 5 small cuts on the inside of each prawn and press down to straighten it, (this will stop the prawn curling when you deep fry it) sprinkle a little salt & pepper over the prawns now coat each prawn with the flour, then beaten egg, and finally coat with the panko breadcrumbs put 3-4cm of veg oil in a pan & heat to about 170’C deep fry the prawns for 4 - 5 mins and drain on the kitchen paper serve with lemon wedges and Bull-dog sauce accompany with a mixed salad Ebi Fry

Menchi Katsu You might have seen my recipe for Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) that I posted earlier this year - if you tried it yourself, I hope you liked it. Here's another katsu recipe. This time I used minced pork. People from the Kansai region of Japan call this dish Minchi katsu, but in the Kanto region (where i'm from), it's Menchi katsu. Like Tonkatsu, Menchi katsu is another example of a Western style dish assimilated into Japanese food culture at the turn of the 20th century. (Yes, you guessed correctly, it means "minced cutlet".) You could say menchi is more Japanese than tonkatsu because it uses minced meat combined with other ingredients - this is very much the Japanese way of using meat - mincing or chopping into small pieces. Tonkatsu is an outlier in Japanese cooking because it uses a cut of meat rather than smaller pieces. "Traditional" Menchi is made using minced beef but nowadays, you can find it made with a mixture of beef and pork or (like my recipe here) just minced pork. I'm not sure that there are any hard and fast rules about the size a Menchi but I think to describe the size as about the same as a tennis ball or a little smaller which I think hits the mark. You could make them smaller than that but any larger and you might find it difficult to cook the contents before the breadcrumbs get overcooked and burn. I serve my Menchi katsu on a bed of green salad with a bowl of rice on the side. Like Tonkatsu, the Japanese love to give their Menchi katsu a good drizzle of ketchup or brown sauce (guilty secret time - I use both!) You can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube tutorial link by clicking Menchi Katsu or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. Menchi Katsu ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 220g minced pork 40g finely minced onion 1.5tbsp green peas 1/8tsp salt 1/8th tsp pepper 40g plain flour 1 egg, beaten 40g Japanese breadcrumbs veg oil for deep frying some kitchen paper how to: put the minced pork, onion, peas, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well divide the mixture into 2 halves and form two round patties coat each patty with flour, then next coat in the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs fill a saucepan with 3cm of veg and heat to 180 C deep fry each patty for 5-6 mins, turning over 2/3 times taking care to keep the oil at around 180 C drain on kitchen paper i usually eat my menchi with a green salad and rice but you could combine it with another veg dish and/or miso soup as well! Menchi Katsu

Pumpkin Kabocha Scones Younger Japanese (and not a few older ones) love Halloween. Millions of people strut their spooky stuff in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities in Japan on Halloween night - if you're ever in Japan over Halloween, you have to go and take a look - you'll never have seen anything like it! On a related note, I've been using some of my home grown Japanese kabocha pumpkins on perfecting a pumpkin scone recipe - if you've never tried pumpkin scones, I think you're in for a pleasant surprise - using pumpkin makes the scone soft, moist and sweet. Serve them up with some whipped cream and jam and you'll send away any "trick or treater" with a big smile on their face! If you want to get cooking, you can find the written recipe as below and the Youtube video tutorial by clicking Pumpkin Kabocha Scones . Happy Halloween! Kurumi XXXX. Ingredients: makes 12 scones 300g japanese kabocha / pumpkin 230g self raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 55g salted butter 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon 50g sugar 1 egg 4 tbsp yoghourt 1 tbsp milk some butter or oil for oiling a baking tray a little milk for grazing a little flour for dusting a small round cutter how to: deseed and cut the pumpkin into wedges with the skin on put the pumpkin in a bowl and cover it with cling film pierce once and microwave for 5 mins at 600W remove the skin from the kabocha & mash well with a fork in the bowl mix the flour & baking powder in a bowl rub the butter into the flour with your fingers add the cinnamon, sugar & pumpkin and mix well with a fork  until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs add the beaten egg & yoghurt and mix well then add the milk and mix again heat your over to 180 C / 350 F dust a rolling surface with a little of the flour shape the dough into a 3cm thick roundel, then using a small cutter, cut out 12 scones oil or butter a baking try, place the scones on the tray and brush a little milk on the top bake the scones for 15-17 mins serve with clotted cream and jam (optional) Pumpkin kabocha Scones

BLT Onigirazu Mention the acronym my BLT and it's natural to think, "sandwich", isn't it? But you might just be surprised by this recipe - in my humble opinion, a BLT Onigirazu tastes even better than the standard sandwich combination - you get the added flavour and texture of the dried nori (and of course, the extra nutrition.) If you haven't seen any of my other Onigirazu recipes, you'll find that they are just as easy to make as a sandwich. Recently, to be a little bit greener in my life, I've stopped using clingfilm to make them and started using greaseproof paper instead. The only little tip I have to offer is that when I make these, I deseed the slices of tomato to keep the Onigirazu from becoming soggy while it's waiting to be gobbled up. That apart, at around 10 mins, these really are a fast food. Believe me, one or two of Onigirazu popped in a lunch box is bound to bring a smile to anyone's face after a morning's work! If you'd like to try my BLT Onigirazu, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking BLT Onigirazu or just scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. (PS: What does Onigirazu mean? You probably know that an O nigiri is a Japanese rice ball made by pressing the rice into a triangular shape with your hands. Nigiru is a Japanese verb meaning to press or mould with the fingers. The suffix -razu, means without - so an Onigirazu means "without pressing". - meaning this is a rice ball made without pressing.) Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. BLT Onigirazu ingredients: (for 1 onigirazu) 1 bacon rasher 2 thin slices tomato (deseeded) 2 small lettuce leaves 150g cooked japanese rice* 1 sheet of nori some mayonnaise some greaseproof paper, (approx. 30cm square) * see my “how to cook perfect Japanese rice in a saucepan” recipe how to: heat and fry the bacon rasher in a frying pan and cut in half place the nori onto the greaseproof paper diagonally, put 1/2 the rice in the centre of the nori, then pile on the bacon, & tomato slices squeeze a helping of mayonnaise over the tomato top with lettuce leave and lastly the rest of rice now fold the top & bottom corners of the nori to meet in the centre, then fold the right & left corners to close next, fold the onigirazu in the greaseproof paper, folding the right & left corners to close and gently forming a parcel shape cut in half with a sharp knife just before you eat BLT Onigirazu

Shisomiso and chicken Onigirazu and Natto and spring onion Onigirazu You might remember I posted an item on making shisomiso a couple of weeks ago. I put some of it to good use in some onigirazu, paired with chicken & spinach - super healthy & very tasty. At the same time, I also made some onigirazu using natto & spring onion - very yum also. These are great mainstays for a healthy lunch box, a picnic or just as a snack if you are on the go and in need of a nutricious energy boost. The great thing about onigirazu is that there is no end to the fillings you can use. What are your onigirazu favourites? - I'd love to know - Why not send me a photo and a description and I'll post it on the blog! You can find the written two recipes as belor or by clicking Shisomiso and Chicken Onigirazu and Natto and Spring onion Onigirazu . You can watch the Youtube video tutorials by clicking Shisomiso and Chicken Onigirazu and Natto and Spring Onion Onigirazu . or as below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. 1.Shiso Miso and Chicken Onigirazu Ingredients: makes 1 onigirazu 1 tsp veg oil 1 thinly sliced piece of chicken breast 1 tsp plain flour 1 sheet cling film* 1 nori sheet 150g cooked Japanese rice 1 tbsp shiso-miso* (recomend to make in advance) 10g spinach *the cling film should be slightly bigger than the nori sheet, about 30cm square **see how to make my shiso-miso recipe - https://www.kurumicooks.co.uk/recipes-24/shiso-miso 1.Shiso Miso and Chicken Onigirazu how to: heat 1 tsp of oil in a frying pan meanwhile coat the chicken in the plain flour, fry the chicken for 2 mins each side lay the nori sheet on the cling film and spread half of the rice in the centre of the nori sheet spread the shiso-miso over the rice place the chicken on the shiso-miso, pile the spinach on top of the chicken, then place the rest of the rice on the top take the two side corners of nori sheet and close them over the filling take the top and bottom corners and close over the filling use the cling film to form the onigirazu into a neat parcel rest for 5 mins and then cut in half using a sharp knife 2.Natto and Spring Onion Onigirazu Ingredients: makes 1 Onigirazu 5 tbsp natto 1 spring onion, finely chopped 20g lettuce leaves 1/2 tp mustard 1 tsp soy sauce 2 sheets, nori 2 sheet, cling film* 150g cooked rice * the cling film should be slightly bigger than the nori sheet, so about 30cm X 30cm 2.Natto and Spring Onion Onigirazu how to: mix the natto well in a bowl until it becomes sticky add the chopped spring onion, mustard & soy sauce and mix again lay the cling film on a plate, then lay the nori sheet on top & place them diagonally in front of you, so you have a corner at the top and bottom spread 1/4 of the rice in the centre of the nori sheet spread 1/2 the natto over the rice place 1/2 the lettuce leaves on the natto spread another 1/4 of the rice on the lettuce pull the top and bottom corners of the nori over the filling now bring the left and right corners up to form the onigirazu use the cling film to form a neat, square parcel rest for 5 mins and then cut in half using a sharp knife Shiso miso and Chicken Onigirazu Natto and Spring onion Onigirazu