Why is everyone suddenly putting rice in their waffle maker? We made the popular sushi waffle and now we know.
We Tried the Viral Crispy Rice Sushi Waffles and We’re Obsessed
I used to think my waffle iron was just for… waffles. You know, the morning, Belgian kind of waffles. But over the past few years, my vision of what the appliance can do has expanded, with a bunch of surprising waffle-iron recipes. The most surprising, however, is a savory recipe for crispy rice sushi waffles that can be the basis for a delicious and healthy dinner with salmon, avocado and cucumber. Try this recipe, and your waffle maker might just start getting used more for dinner than breakfast.
What Are Sushi Waffles and How Did They Get So Popular?
The popular sushi waffles are a sort of take on a sushi bowl, but instead of fresh, soft rice, the rice is cooked a second time in a waffle iron, converting it into a tasty, crispy vehicle for fish, veggies and sauce. Most credit TikTok food influence Tor Minell for kicking off the viral trend with her video of making sushi waffles which had more than 14 million views. A few days later, she followed up with another video explaining the steps for how to make your own sushi waffle.
@victoriaminell SALMON CRISPY RICE WAFFLE with smashed avocado & cucumber. #sushi #recipe ♬ Flowers – Miley Cyrus
How to Make Crispy Rice Sushi Waffles
This is a recipe that’s very flexible and customizable. I prefer to broil my salmon, but you can also bake the salmon, or prepare it however you feel comfortable. The original recipe calls for the salmon to be marinated in something called kecap manis, which is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce available at most Asian markets. If you prefer something else, go for it!
I used about 2 tablespoons each of regular soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar. For the toppings, the original calls for an avocado-lime paste and slices of cucumber, but experimentation is encouraged with your favorite veggies. The same goes for the hot sauce and Japanese mayonnaise—I used a spicy sriracha mayo and it was great. The recipe below makes four sushi waffles.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sushi rice
- 3.5 cups water
- 1.5 pounds salmon
- Soy sauce or kecap manis
- Brown sugar
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- 3 avocados
- 1 lime
- Sliced cucumber
- Sriracha or other hot sauce
- Japanese mayonnaise or sriracha mayo
- Sesame seeds
- Pickled ginger
Directions
Step 1: Marinate the salmon
In a large resealable plastic bag, marinate the salmon with about 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar—or use any other favorite salmon marinade. The original viral recipe calls for the salmon to be marinated in a sweet Indonesian soy sauce called kecap manis. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or ideally a few hours.
Step 2: Prepare the rice
In a rice cooker, or on the stove, cook the rice. When the rice is finished, add in several splashes (about two tablespoons each) of rice wine vinegar and sesame oil.
Step 3: Cook the salmon
Place salmon skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Transfer to broiler and broil until salmon is cooked through and the skin is bubbling and lightly crisped, about 7-8 minutes. Take out of the oven, remove skin and flake the fish with a fork. If you’re looking for more salmon recipes, then learn how to make miso salmon.
Step 4: Add the rice to the waffle maker
Heat the waffle maker on its highest heat, and grease with oil or cooking spray. Pack the rice into waffle maker and let cook for about 8 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Step 5: Prepare the toppings
Mash the avocados together with the lime juice into a paste. Slice the cucumbers.
Step 6: Assemble the sushi waffle
Once the waffle is crisp and ready, place it on a plate. Smear the top with your avocado paste, and then add a layer of sliced cucumbers. Add the flaked salmon. Finally, top with your choices of hot sauce, soy sauce, mayonnaise, or all of the above. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve with pickled ginger and a lime slice. While you’re at it, learn how to make crispy rice.
Japanese Recipes You Can Make at Home
Sushi
From maki rolls filled with vegetables to fish-topped nigiri, there are a variety of sushi types that can be made at home without special equipment. You can make rolls with sushi rice, nori (dried seaweed) and fresh or pickled vegetables. There are infinite flavor combinations for rolls, but one with an American twist is Philly maki, made with cream cheese, smoked salmon and cucumber.
Tsukemen
Tsukemen , also known as "dipping ramen," consists of cold noodles served alongside a bowl of warm stock for dipping. You can make tsukemen at home by cooking premade ramen noodles and chilling them, then topping with pork, spinach, a poached egg, corn, scallions and sesame seeds. Pair with a flavorful broth for dipping and you have a refreshing Japanese meal.
Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu is a juicy, crispy pork cutlet that's simple and quick to make at home. It's like a Japanese version of chicken-fried steak! Tonkatsu can come together in about 30 minutes by dredging a pork cutlet in an egg batter and panko bread crumbs and frying in oil. In our tonkatsu recipe, the pork pairs nicely with a drizzle of tangy sauce. If you want to try another Japanese chicken recipe, cook up this chicken katsu recipe that's gone viral on TikTok.
Onigiri
These rice balls are a lunch box item in Japan. Traditional fillings for onigiri include salted salmon, pickled plum, bonito flakes and kombu seaweed. Before the advent of refrigeration, these salty and sour fillings acted as natural preservatives for the rice. However, you can fill onigiri with pretty much anything—even bits of last night's Japanese takeout. Our Test Kitchen's onigiri recipe features tuna and a touch of wasabi.
Miso Soup
Chances are you've had miso soup as an appetizer before, but perhaps never thought to make it at home. It's a unique combination of miso paste (made from fermented soybeans) and dashi (made from dried bonito flakes and kelp) with fresh tofu, green onion and seaweed. For a simple homemade version, out this miso soup recipe. It only takes 20 minutes to cook!
Yakisoba
Yakisoba is a popular noodle dish from Japan characterized by its chewy noodles, vegetables and tangy sauce. It works great as a simple lunch and can be easily cooked ahead and packed in a bento box. Even better, this highly adaptable dish can be customized in so many ways. Learn how to make yakisoba at home.
Ramen
Making ramen from scratch can be a full day affair, with handmade noodles, stewed broth and slow-roasted meat. It's a labor of love and thoroughly enjoyed on a cold day, but you can also pick and choose which elements to devote your time to. Whether you crave a clear shoyu (soy sauce) or shio (salt) based broth, or a creamy miso (fermented soy bean) broth, homemade ramen will impress. Choose your toppings, like broccoli, corn, mushroom and eggs, to build the perfect bowl.
Japanese Milk Bread
Soft, pillowy Japanese milk bread takes all day to make, but it's well worth the effort. The secret to its texture is the addition of tangzhong, a flour-based roux starter. Enjoy a slice of milk bread on its own, use it for sandwich bread (perhaps paired with tonkatsu) or make it into a dessert-like bread pudding.
Japanese Cucumber Salad
Japanese food is often served with pickled vegetables like cucumbers, daikon or radishes for crunch. Cucumber salad (known as sunomono) is an easy dish to make and enjoy throughout the week. Unlike other salads that wilt and get funky in the fridge, cucumber salad only benefits from sitting in the vinegar, sesame and ginger dressing for a few days.
Spicy Edamame
Boiled and lightly salted, edamame can be prepared quickly and seasoned with a pinch of salt—or turn it into spicy edamame with red pepper flakes and garlic. The green pods are often served as a complementary snack at a Japanese restaurant and might seem like something you wouldn't think to make at home. But edamame are easily found preboiled and ready to eat at grocery stores like Trader Joe's.
Japanese Curry
Many cultures have versions of curry. Japan's skews rich and sweet, with a dark roux. Traditional Japanese curry includes pieces of beef, potato, carrot and onion and is served with steamed rice. Though you can make the curry roux from scratch, you can also buy bricks of Japanese curry that you add to water for a quicker meal.
Japanese Pancakes
Fluffy Japanese pancakes are part pancake, part souffle. They're set apart by their height and custard-like flavor. These pancakes are made with most of the same ingredients as buttermilk pancakes, like eggs, sugar, flour and baking soda, but involve one important step which requires a bit more patience: whipping the egg whites.
Soba Noodles
Made from buckwheat flour, soba noodles are a quick-cooking noodle that's easy to turn into a healthy lunch or dinner. They can be enjoyed chilled with dipping sauce (similar to tsukemen), with wasabi and green onion, or prepared with vegetables and protein as a chilled soba noodle bowl.
Mochi Ice Cream
Mochi ice cream is a popular Japanese dessert made with a sweet rice dough wrapped around ice cream. To make mochi ice cream at home, pick your favorite ice cream flavors—perhaps strawberry, vanilla or chocolate—and wrap a small scoop in mochi dough. The toughest part is waiting for them to freeze completely before taking a bite! Next, try our favorite mochi doughnuts.
Udon Noodles
Like any handmade noodle, making udon noodles from scratch is better than store-bought, says Namiko Hirasawa Chen in Just One Cookbook. While it's more labor intensive, making fresh udon noodles with pantry ingredients like flour, salt and water is worth it for the distinct chew and bounce. Enjoy them cold with dipping sauce, warm in a pan-fried noodle dish or hot with a brothy soup.
Tempura
Tempura is battered and fried vegetables or seafood. Unlike the crunchy batter of fried chicken, tempura is light and less oily (and still crisp!), pairing perfectly with a dipping sauce. Some common vegetables used for tempura include broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, squash and eggplant, and they're often served alongside shrimp tempura. Once you chop your vegetables and seafood, dipping and frying is quite quick. You'd be surprised how easy it is to make tempura.
Omurice
This American-inspired comfort food is made from a silky egg omelette served with rice and ketchup. The omurice is soft and silky because it's cooked on low heat. As long as you master the silky omelette, you can make the rice however you like it. Try adding ham, onion or peas to the rice, or pour on more ketchup for maximum flavor.
