Spicy, earthy, salty with the right amont of sweetness, these Spicy Tempeh Onigiri Rice Balls are one of the best way to turn tempeh into an amazing dish!
To cook the rice: Rinse the rice for 1-2 times, then add the water, salt, and rice vinegar. Let the rice soak for 15 minutes.
Cook it with a rice cooker or an instant pot. Once the rice is cooked, loosen the rice. Let it cool then cover to sit in the fridge.
Make the sauce: In a deep dish, add the soy sauce, palm syrup, Korean paste, mushroom powder, and five-spice powder. Mix to incorporate.
Cook the tempeh: Add the cubed tempeh to the sauce. Toss them until all tempeh cubes are well covered with sauce.
Heat a non-stick frying pan with medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the sesame oil and tempeh. Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes until the tempeh absorbs the sauce. Add a dash of hot water to the pan to prevent sticking as needed.
Transfer the cooked tempeh into a bowl. Let it cool down then covered and put in the fridge to sit for 30 minutes.
Take out the tempeh from the fridge. Stir in the vegan mayonnaise. (I use the recipe in my ebook. I also shared it on Patreon)
Remove the rice from the fridge. Grap a piece of plastic wrap to cover a 6-inch plate. Scoop about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of cooked rice and press it down. Scoop about 2 Tbsp of the tempeh filling to put in the center of the rice. Wrap it up by using the plastic wrap.
Add the nori sheets to a food processor and blitz to cut them into fine pieces. Transfer the nori to a bowl and add the toasted sesame seeds.
Coat the rice balls with the nori and sesame mixture. Enjoy right away!
Notes
If you have time, I recommend cooking the rice and tempeh the night before and then combine them the next day.