Vegan Maple-Glazed Tofu Musubi

Picture tender slices of vegan Spam nestled atop seasoned rice, all wrapped in a delicate nori seaweed embrace. This recipe by vegan blogger Deborah Gleason uses a musubi press, a type of sushi mold designed for making musubi. They can be found online, at Asian grocery stores or in the international aisle of bigger supermarkets. 

What you need:

For the rice:
3 cups water
2 cups sushi rice
3 tablespoons furikake
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup 

For the marinade:
¼ cup tamari 
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 garlic cloves, minced 
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger 
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

For the tofu:
3 tablespoons avocado oil
2 (12-ounce) blocks extra-firm tofu, sliced into 12 slices

To assemble:
4 sheets nori, cut into 2 ½ inch wide strips

What you do:

  1. For the rice, in a saucepan, add water and rice and bring to a boil, covering with a lid. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in furikake, vinegar, and maple syrup. 
  2. For the marinade, in a medium bowl, mix all ingredients.
  3. For the tofu, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm oil. Once hot, gently add tofu slices. Cook 10 minutes or until beginning to brown, then flip, cooking other side until beginning to brown. Once both sides have browned, reduce heat to medium-low and add marinade. Cook about 5 minutes, flipping midway through.
  4. Place a strip of nori on a cutting board or clean surface (shiny side down). Place musubi press across middle of nori. Place a piece of cooked tofu into press and top with ½ cup cooked rice, pressing down firmly and evenly, so there is one inch of rice above tofu. Remove press by pulling straight up, then wrap a strip of nori around both tofu and rice. Repeat with remaining ingredients. 
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