Lemon-Mayo Karaage Onigirazu
A Japanese rice sandwich: rice, lemony mayo slaw and crisp karaage folded inside a sheet of nori, cut in half for a picture-perfect cross-section.
Method
Slit the thick parts of the chicken and open them out so the meat is an even 1.5 cm thick, then cut into flat pieces about half the size of your palm. Massage with the soy sauce, sake, ginger and garlic and leave for 15 minutes. Flat pieces fit neatly between the rice and cook quickly.
Add in this stepChicken thighs (skin on) 240 gSoy sauce 1 tbspSake or mirin 1 tbspGrated ginger 1 tspGrated garlic ½ tsp
Shred the cabbage as thinly as you can, about 2 mm, toss with a pinch of salt, leave 5 minutes and squeeze out the water. Mix with the mayonnaise, grated lemon zest and lemon juice (1 tsp per serving). Mix a pinch of salt into the rice too and let it cool until just warm.
Add in this stepWhite cabbage 80 gSalt 1 pinchWarm cooked short-grain rice 400 gMayonnaise 2 tbspLemon (zest and juice) ¼
Press the starch firmly onto the chicken. Pour the oil into a 24 cm frying pan (about 8 mm deep) and heat over medium heat to 170°C: small bubbles should form around the tip of a wooden chopstick. Add the chicken in a single layer and fry for , turning once halfway. Lift out and drain when both sides are deep golden and clear juices run from the thickest piece when cut.
Add in this stepPotato starch 4 tbspNeutral oil for frying 350 ml
medium heatLay a 30 cm sheet of cling film on the board and place the nori on top, rough side up, turned like a diamond. In the centre, spread half of one serving of rice into a thin 10 cm square, then layer half the slaw, the karaage, the rest of the slaw and the rest of the rice. Fold the four corners of the nori into the middle, wrap tightly in the cling film and leave seam side down for so the nori seals to the rice. Make 2 this way.
Add in this stepFull sheet of roasted nori seaweed 2
Cut through the middle, cling film and all, with a wet knife, arrange cut side up, sprinkle with a little shichimi and serve with the remaining lemon in wedges.
Add in this stepLemon (zest and juice) ¼Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice) to taste
Cook's tip
Hot rice wrinkles the nori and wilts the slaw, so let it cool until just warm. Wet the knife before every cut for a clean cross-section. Leftover karaage works too: reheat it in an air fryer at 180°C for 4 minutes.
Cooking it at camp
Fry the karaage at home and bring it in the cooler; at camp just re-crisp it in a dry pan. Wrapped in cling film, onigirazu are easy to eat by hand and make a great hiking lunch. Because of the mayonnaise, eat them within 4 hours.