Crispy Tofu Musubi (Vegan Rice Sandwich)

Watch out for the new hottie on the lunch block – vegan tofu musubi! Or Japanese rice sandwich. The tofu cutlet is coated with a super crispy and crunchy crust and fried till golden, then assembled with freshly made fluffy rice, buttery avocado, and finally drizzled with sriracha sauce and homemade vegan mayo.

Have you ever had musubi? Musubi is a classic Japanese lunch food or snack, traditionally consists of a slab of Spam meat, a block of rice, and wrapped with nori. It is such a convenient and grab-and-go food option and very fulfilling. But let’s face it, the traditional musubi is not so healthy and mostly because of the Spam. Spam, being a type of canned and preserved pork, is super high in sodium, fat, and calories, all the while providing little nutrients.

So I used tofu, which is high in protein and super low in fat and calories to replace the yucky canned meat. I did the tofu as in a katsu, coated the tofu with some pea protein puffs, to add even more nutrients and a mega crispy texture. But of course, you could just use bread crumbs.

If you’re more of a visual person, I will be sharing a video of how I made these sexy musubi on my Instagram @veganbunnychef and if you have other questions feel free to dm me there!

Crispy Tofu Musubi (Vegan Rice Sandwich)

Watch out for the new hottie on the lunch block - vegan tofu musubi! Or Japanese rice sandwich.

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Snack

Cuisine Asian-Inspired, Japanese-Inspired

Keyword Crispy Tofu Musubi, Japanese Rice Sandwich, Vegan Sushi

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 30

Total Time 1 10

Servings rice sandwiches

Author Elle

Ingredients

16 oz block extra firm tofu
1 cup white rice dry
1 tablespoon sushi vinegar
2 tablespoon oat flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup soy milk
85 gram veggie puffs or chips, or 1 cup bread crumbs
1 avocado sliced
Silken Tofu Mayo Homemade
Sriracha sauce
Nori sheets
Canola oil for cooking

Instructions

Cook your rice according to package instructions, I recommend using a rice cooker, makes your life a lot easier;
Drain and pat dry the tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick slabs;
Prepare two shallow bowls, in one bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic power, paprika, white pepper, salt, and soy milk till smooth;
If using veggie puffs or chips, mash them into crumbs, transfer into the other shallow bowl;
Dip the tofu slab into the flour mixture bowl first, coat all sides, shake off excess batter;
Then dip into the crumbs bowl, turn it around a couple of times till fully covered, repeat with all the tofu slices;
In a nonstick pan, heat a large drizzle of oil till hot, pan-fry the tofu till golden crispy, about 3-4 minutes per side, watch your heat so they don't burn;
When the rice is done, shape rice into blocks that are the same size as your tofu slices, you could also use a mold if you have one, but don't worry, hands work just find too;
Assemble the musubi, place a layer of avocado on top of the rice block, then add fried tofu, cut the nori into 1/2 inch wide long strips, wrap it around the stack to keep everything together, the moisture from the rice should naturally seal the nori strip, but if it's not sticking, just wet the ends with a bit water;
Drizzle on sriracha and mayo, enjoy!