Sweet Potato Tempura Onigirazu
These mile-high Sweet Potato Tempura Onigirazu feature layers of crisp tempura, creamy avocado, and refreshing cucumber all bundled in rice and nori.
Equipment
- A large dutch oven
- Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked sushi rice
- 2 sweet potatoes cut into medallions
- 2½ cups cake flour divided
- 1 quart neutral oil I used canola oil
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups cold water
- 4 ice cubes
- salt for sprinkling
- 8 sheets nori
- 3 mini cucumbers sliced lengthwise and halved crosswise
- 2 avocados thinly sliced
- kewpie mayo for drizzling
- black sesame seeds for sprinkling
- plastic wrap for forming
Instructions
- Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Place the rice and the strainer in a bowl filled with cold water and let soak for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes have passed, place the rice in a rice cooker or a small saucepan. Add 2 cups of water or the amount of water required by your rice cooker. Either let your rice cooker do the work, or bring the water and rice to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Keep the cover on the rice and let steam for 10 minutes more.
- Place 1/2 cup of the cake flour in a large shallow vessel, like a pie plate. Roll the sweet potato medallions in the flour until coated. Set them aside. Pour the oil into a large dutch oven fitted with a candy thermometer and begin heating the oil to 360°F.
- While the oil is coming up to temperature, make the tempura batter. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the egg yolks and the water. Add the ice cubes and set the bowl aside. Sift in the remaining flour and, using chopsticks, mix the batter until it resembles a thin pancake batter. It should be lumpy, resist the urge to over mix.
- Once the oil is ready, begin dunking the medallions into the batter before adding them to the oil. Work quickly. You don't want the batter to hang around too long and get warm. Fry the medallions for 6-8 minutes, rotating frequently. Transfer the finished tempura to a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with kosher salt. Keep the tempura warm in a low oven (150°F) until you're ready to build your onigirazu.
- Place a sheet of nori in the center of a large piece of plastic wrap. Working with wet hands to keep the rice from sticking, place 1/3 of a cup of rice in the center of the sheet. Flatten the rice with a wet hand.
- Cover the rice with cucumber slices in an even layer. Top the cucumber with three pieces of sweet potato tempura and finish the sandwich with half of an avocado, a drizzle of mayo, and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.
- Place 1/3 cup of the rice on top of the fillings and once again flatten it with a wet palm. Place another sheet of nori on top, tucking the sides and corners around the filling. Fold each corner of the plastic wrap and bottom nori sheet towards the center and wrap tightly to form a seal. Using a serrated knife cut the onigirazu in half and serve.
Notes
Tempura recipe adapted from the book Japanese Soul Cooking