Foodie Cutie ♡

Veggie Onigiri おにぎり

Rice triangles in crisp seaweed jackets — the ultimate snack 🍙

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked short-grain rice (warm)
• 1 pinch salt
• Nori (seaweed) strips
• Fillings: corn + mayo, pickled plum (umeboshi), or sesame seeds

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Wash your hands, then wet them with a little water so the rice won’t stick.
2. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on your palms.
3. Scoop some rice and make a small dent in the middle.
4. Pop in your filling and cover it with more rice.
5. Gently press into a triangle shape with cupped hands.
6. Wrap a nori strip around the bottom — done!

Tofu Miso Soup 味噌汁

Cozy, savory, and ready in 20 minutes 🥣

🛒 Ingredients

• 4 cups veggie dashi (kombu + dried shiitake soaked in water)
• 3 tbsp miso paste
• 1/2 block soft tofu, cubed
• 1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
• 2 green onions, sliced

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveSoak kombu and shiitake in water 30 min, then warm gently — that's your veggie dashi!
2. Remove the kombu and bring the broth to a gentle simmer.
3. Add tofu cubes and wakame; cook 2 minutes.
4. Turn off heat. Stir miso into a ladle of broth until smooth, then pour it back in.
5. Top with green onions and enjoy!

Veggie Gyoza 野菜餃子

Crispy-bottomed dumplings shaped like little purses 🥟

🛒 Ingredients

• 24 round gyoza wrappers
• 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 block firm tofu, crumbled
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil
• Oil and water for cooking

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Mix cabbage, mushrooms, carrot, tofu, soy sauce and sesame oil in a bowl.
2. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of a wrapper.
3. Wet the edge with water, fold in half and pinch little pleats.
4. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveFry gyoza in an oiled pan until the bottoms are golden.
5. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveAdd 1/4 cup water, cover and steam 3–4 minutes.
6. Dip in soy sauce with a splash of rice vinegar.

Yaki Udon 焼きうどん

Thick, slurpy stir-fried noodles 🍜

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 packs udon noodles
• 1 cup cabbage, sliced
• 1 carrot, thin sticks
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetarian 'oyster' (mushroom) sauce or 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp oil

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Loosen the udon in warm water and drain.
2. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveHeat oil in a big pan and stir-fry the veggies 3 minutes.
3. Add the noodles and the sauces.
4. Toss everything together for 2 minutes until shiny.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve!

Tamagoyaki 卵焼き

A fluffy, slightly sweet rolled omelette — a bento classic 🍳

🛒 Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp water (or kombu dashi)
• A little oil

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Whisk eggs, sugar, soy sauce and water together.
2. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveHeat a lightly oiled pan on low.
3. Pour in a thin layer of egg; when almost set, roll it to one side.
4. Pour another thin layer, lifting the roll so egg flows under it.
5. Roll again! Repeat until the egg is used up.
6. Let it cool a bit, then slice into cute pieces.

Veggie Tempura 天ぷら

Light, golden veggie bites with the best crunch 🍠

🛒 Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 small zucchini or 6 green beans
• 4 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup cold flour (or tempura flour)
• 1 cup ice-cold sparkling water
• Oil for frying
• Dip: 3 tbsp soy sauce + 3 tbsp kombu-shiitake dashi + 1 tsp sugar

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Wash the veggies and pat them dry — dry veggies get crunchier!
2. Stir flour and ice-cold water together just a little (lumps are OK!).
3. 🔥 Adult help: hot oilHeat oil in a deep pot to about 340°F / 170°C.
4. Dip a veggie slice into the batter.
5. 🔥 Adult help: hot oilGently lower it into the oil and fry 2–3 minutes until light golden.
6. 🔥 Adult help: hot oilLift out onto paper towels, then dip in the sauce and crunch!

Inari Sushi いなり寿司

Sweet tofu pockets stuffed with seasoned rice 🦊

🛒 Ingredients

• 8–10 seasoned inari age pockets (sweet fried tofu, from a can or pack — check the label for bonito/dashi; pick a vegetarian brand)
• 2 cups warm cooked short-grain rice
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt
• Toasted sesame seeds

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt, then fold it into the warm rice.
2. Stir in a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
3. Gently squeeze extra juice from each tofu pocket.
4. Open the pocket carefully like a tiny bag.
5. Stuff it with a small ball of rice and tuck the edges in.
6. Line them up on a plate — fox-ear style 🦊

Cucumber Sunomono 酢の物

A cool, tangy cucumber salad with wiggly seaweed 🥒

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 Japanese or mini cucumbers
• 1 tbsp dried wakame seaweed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce
• Sesame seeds

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. Soak the wakame in water for 5 minutes — it grows a lot!
2. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice the cucumbers very thin.
3. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt, wait 5 minutes, then squeeze out the water.
4. Mix vinegar, sugar and soy sauce in a bowl until the sugar melts.
5. Add the cucumbers and drained wakame and toss.
6. Top with sesame seeds and serve cold!

Kappa Maki かっぱ巻き

Skinny cucumber rolls — crisp, fresh and super snackable 🥒

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 2 nori sheets, cut in half
• 1 Japanese cucumber
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Soy sauce for dipping

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse the rice until the water is clear, then cook it (rice cooker or pot).
2. Stir sugar and salt into the vinegar, then gently fold it into the warm rice. Let it cool.
3. 🔪 Adult help: knifeCut the cucumber into long, thin sticks.
4. Lay a half nori sheet on a bamboo mat, spread a thin layer of rice, leaving a strip bare at the top.
5. Add a cucumber stick and sesame seeds, then roll up tightly with the mat.
6. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice each roll into 6 pieces with a wet knife.

Avocado Roll アボカド巻き

Creamy avocado tucked inside — mild, smooth and so good 🥑

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 2 nori sheets
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 lemon (to keep the avocado green)
• Optional: cucumber or carrot sticks
• Soy sauce for dipping

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice.
2. Fold the sushi vinegar into the warm rice and let it cool.
3. 🔪 Adult help: knifeHalve the avocado, remove the pit and slice it into strips; squeeze a little lemon over them.
4. Spread rice on the nori, leaving a bare strip at the top.
5. Line up the avocado (and any extra veggies) and roll tightly with the mat.
6. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice into 8 pieces with a wet knife and serve.

Tamago Nigiri 玉子握り

Sweet, fluffy omelette on sushi rice with a cute nori belt 💛

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp kombu dashi or water (no bonito)
• 1 nori sheet, cut into thin strips
• A little oil for the pan

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and let it cool.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar, soy sauce and kombu dashi (or water) until smooth.
3. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveCook thin layers of egg in an oiled pan on low heat, rolling each layer up like tamagoyaki.
4. Let the omelette cool, then press it gently into a neat rectangle.
5. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice it into 8 thin, wide pieces.
6. Shape a small oval of rice with wet hands, lay a slice of egg on top and wrap a thin nori strip around the middle like a belt.

Veggie Futomaki 太巻き

A big, chunky roll with a whole rainbow of fillings 🌈

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 3 full nori sheets
• 1 cucumber, long sticks
• 1 carrot, long sticks
• 1 cup spinach
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Optional: tamagoyaki (sweet omelette) strips
• 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar for the mushrooms

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and let it cool.
2. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveBlanch the spinach and carrot for 1 minute; simmer the shiitake in soy sauce and sugar for 3 minutes.
3. 🔪 Adult help: knifeCut the cucumber and avocado into long strips.
4. Spread rice over a whole nori sheet, leaving a bare strip at the top.
5. Line up all the fillings across the middle and roll up firmly with the bamboo mat.
6. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice into 8 thick rounds with a wet knife — look at that rainbow!

Oshinko Maki お新香巻き

Little rolls with a sunny, crunchy pickled-radish center 💛

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 2 nori sheets, cut in half
• Takuan (yellow pickled daikon radish) — check the label for bonito/fish extract and pick a fish-free one
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Soy sauce for dipping

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and let it cool.
2. 🔪 Adult help: knifeCut the takuan into long, thin sticks.
3. Spread a thin layer of rice on a half nori sheet, leaving a bare strip at the top.
4. Add a takuan stick and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
5. Roll up tightly with the bamboo mat.
6. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice into 6 pieces with a wet knife.

Sweet Potato Tempura Roll さつまいも天ぷら巻き

Crunchy golden sweet potato tucked into a sesame-speckled roll 🍠

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled
• Egg-free tempura batter: 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 2/3 cup ice-cold sparkling water
• Oil for frying
• 1 avocado
• 2 nori sheets
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Soy sauce for dipping

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and let it cool.
2. 🔪 Adult help: knifeCut the sweet potato into thin sticks, about as thick as a pencil.
3. Whisk the batter with chopsticks for just a few strokes. Lumpy is fine, and keeping it ice-cold makes it extra crispy!
4. 🔥 Adult help: hot oilA grown-up dips the sticks in batter and fries them in 170°C / 340°F oil for 3–4 minutes until golden, then drains them on paper towels.
5. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice the avocado into thin strips.
6. Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap, lay a nori sheet on it, spread rice all over and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Flip it so the nori faces up.
7. Line up the sweet potato and avocado along the middle and roll it up tightly.
8. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice into 8 pieces with a wet knife. Tasty with Sweet Soy Sushi Sauce!

Green Dragon Avocado Roll グリーンドラゴンロール

An inside-out roll wearing a coat of thin avocado “scales,” with crunchy cucumber inside 🐉

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 2 nori sheets
• 1 cucumber
• 1 carrot
• 2 ripe avocados
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Japanese mayo for the little dots on top (optional)
• A few small basil or salad leaves to garnish
• Soy sauce for dipping

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and let it cool.
2. 🔪 Adult help: knifeCut the cucumber and carrot into long, thin sticks.
3. Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Spread rice on a nori sheet, flip it rice-side down, lay the sticks in the middle and roll it up tightly.
4. 🔪 Adult help: knifeHalve and peel the avocados, slice them paper-thin and squeeze a little lemon over them so they stay green.
5. Lay the avocado slices over the top of the roll like dragon scales. Cover with plastic wrap and press gently with the mat so they hug the roll.
6. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice through the plastic wrap into 8 pieces with a wet knife, then peel the wrap off.
7. Add a tiny dot of mayo and a little leaf on each piece. Now it’s a green dragon! 🐉

Veggie Sushi Bowl 野菜寿司丼

All the sushi flavors with no rolling: crispy tofu, avocado and crunchy cucumber 🥗

🛒 Ingredients

• 2 cups short-grain (sushi) rice + 2 cups water
• Sushi vinegar: 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 1 block firm tofu, patted dry and cubed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 avocado
• 1 cucumber
• 1 carrot, grated
• Spicy mayo: 3 tbsp mayonnaise + 1/2 tsp sriracha
• 1 nori sheet, cut into thin strips
• Fish-free furikake rice seasoning (many contain bonito flakes, so check the label, or just mix sesame seeds + crumbled nori)
• Optional: shelled edamame

👩‍🍳 Steps

1. 🔥 Adult help: hot stoveRinse and cook the rice, fold in the sushi vinegar and keep it warm.
2. Toss the tofu cubes with soy sauce, then roll them in cornstarch.
3. 🔥 Adult help: hot stovePan-fry the tofu in the oil for 8–10 minutes, turning, until golden and crispy all over.
4. 🔪 Adult help: knifeSlice the cucumber and avocado.
5. Stir the mayo and sriracha together. Start with a little and taste!
6. Scoop rice into bowls, add the tofu, avocado, cucumber, carrot and edamame, drizzle with spicy mayo and sprinkle with furikake and nori strips.