Nori cups with avocado and furikake

Servings: 12
One of the best things to come out of the ubiquity of social media is how quickly food trends zip around the world. These nori cups, which are a play on the viral “salmon sushi muffins” are a nifty lunchtime treat, particularly for households who already love sushi, but don’t necessarily want to faff about with rolling mats and too many ingredients. Once you get the hang of how to make these, feel free to get riffing - add your favourite sushi fillings into the cups, or keep them simple and offer different toppings at the table for people to choose their own adventure. Furikake is Japanese rice seasoning, and is full of sweet-savoury umami flavour. You’ll find it at most supermarkets these days, or at your local Asian grocer. That’s also where you’ll find nori (seaweed sheets) and Kewpie (Japanese mayo). It’s a terrific way of using up any cooked short grain rice (sushi rice is best, but jasmine will still work). Get the kids to cut the nori squares into quarters with scissors, and squirt the kewpie, sprinkle the furikake, and maybe even try their hand at cubing the avocado using a butter knife.
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Ingredients 

  • Neutral oil I like grapeseed or rice bran
  • ½ cup cooked short-grain rice
  • ¼ tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3 nori sheets cut into 4 squares
  • 2 avocados cubed
  • 2 spring onions sliced on the diagonal (reserve the green tops)
  • ½ tsp salt flakes
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Furikake seasoning
  • Kewpie mayo

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan).
  • Grease a muffin tray with some neutral oil, by either spraying or popping some oil on kitchen paper and wiping the insides of the tin.
  • Pop rice in a small bowl with the vinegar and mix together with a wooden spoon.
  • Grab a nori sheet and place a tablespoon of rice in the middle and pop the sheet in the muffin case. It’s easier this way, otherwise if you try to pop the nori sheet in by itself it will tear. Fill all the muffin cases. Pop in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then leave in the tin to cool slightly.
  • While they’re baking, slice up the avocados and pop into a small bowl with the spring onions, lemon juice and salt. Gently fold together.
  • Once ready, spoon a tablespoon of avocado mixture into the cups, squirt in some kewpie and sprinkle with furikake and reserved spring onions tops.

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