Lunch Box Treats – Sushi Rolls
Sponsored Post (and our first great Giveaway of 2013)
EDIT: The competition is now closed and a winner has been selected and notified. Please check your emails to see if you’ve won!
Sushi or nori rolls are a marvel of gluten-free, high energy goodness, packed in its own wrapping and highly portable. With an emphasis on fresh ingredients, it’s a terrific lunch box filler instead of sandwiches.
What’s not to love?
Well, er, there’s quite a bit not to love actually. They can be very expensive to buy individually. Fish-averse children may find the flavour too strong. Cramming them with fresh chilled fish such as salmon makes them difficult to keep cold in a lunch box. And, if you’ve never made them before, they can seem fiddly to make.
However, the good people at SunRice would like to help you change your mind the way they helped me change mine.
Over summer, SunRice sent me a goodie bag full of all the necessaries to make some nori rolls. Seaweed sheets, some wasabi, soy sauce, a bamboo rolling mat and three packets of their ready to heat and serve Sushi Rice. If that wasn’t enough, a brand spanking new and extremely sharp sashimi knife was included in the basket. Oh yes.
With everything I needed except the fillings at hand, my only question was then what to put into it. Luckily my housemate saved the day. “I make very good sushi rolls,” she said.
And so she does, because I would hate to have to admit publicly that her skills are rubbish. They’re not – she really is brilliant at making them.
With her guidance, I made two different fillings, one with a humble tin of red salmon, mixed with some mayo and tomato sauce, the other with some teriyaki chicken. In addition, you can easily make a vegie version with some avocado mixed with a hint of wasabi, some toasted sesame seeds and shredded cucumber.
Rolling the nori is easy enough provided you keep a firm grip on the rolls and don’t handle them too daintily. What is much harder to get right is the business of spreading the sushi rice over a sufficient area of the seaweed sheet so that it wraps tightly in a perfect circle around the fillings.
Once you have the process down pat, it really is a very quick process to make up enough for four or more people. SunRice makes this even more speedy by ensuring their pac
kets of microwaveable, fast and easy Sushi Rice heat up in two minutes. Honestly, it will take you longer to cut up the cucumber.
To get started, you will need to go to the asian food aisle of your supermarket. Grab a packet of nori seaweed sheets, a bamboo sushi rolling mat, some wasabi if you want a fiery hit, and some Japanese-style mirin or Chinese-style rice wine vinegar. After you’ve loaded up in that aisle, head round to the rice section and grab a packet or two of SunRice microwaveable Sushi Rice. You can use regular sushi or short-grain rice as a substitute of course.
To encourage you to make your own sushi, SunRice is giving away a wonderful prize pack of three fast and easy Sushi Rice packs and a sashimi knife to a lucky reader. All the terms and conditions of this first great giveaway for 2013 are set out at the bottom of the recipe.
Makes 8 nori rolls (about 7-8cm long) or 16 smaller sushi rolls
INGREDIENTS
1 x 450g packet SunRice microwaveable Sushi Rice OR 1 cup short grain or sushi rice cooked with 2 cups water until fluffy; ½ cup mirin or rice wine vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; 2 tbsp sesame seeds; 1 large lebanese cucumber; 1 large carrot; 4 seaweed (nori) sheets; 1 bamboo sushi mat for rolling; soy sauce to serve; wasabi to serve (optional)
Fillings (each of these fillings is enough for 8 nori rolls):
Teriyaki Chicken: 2 chicken thigh fillets; 1 quantity teriyaki sauce from this recipe OR 1 cup pre-made teriyaki sauce; 2 tbsp mayonnaise plus 1 tsp sugar OR 2 tbsp japanese-style mayonnaise (available in asian food aisles of most supermarkets)
Salmon: 1 x 210g tin red salmon; 2 tbsp mayonnaise plus 1 tsp sugar OR 2 tbsp japanese-style mayonnaise; 1 tbsp tomato sauce
METHOD
Heat the packet of sushi rice on high for two minutes as directed on the packet. Place mirin, sugar and salt in a large heat-proof bowl and stir well to combine. Empty the heated rice into this mixture and use a fork to fluff up and separate the rice grains and to coat the grains thoroughly in the mirin until the grains are glossy. Set aside to cool completely.
While the rice is cooling, place the sesame seeds in a small non-stick frypan over low to medium heat. Stir them constantly until the seeds are toasted, golden brown and fragrant. Se
t aside in a small dish until you need them.
To prepare the cucumber, peel the skin away (this is entirely optional), then carefully slice the cucumber into very thin slices lengthways. Cut the lengths into strips about 2-3mm and then cut each baton in half, so you end up with strips about 2-3cm long and barely 2mm wide. Set aside in a small bowl.
Grate the carrot over a fine hole of the grater and set aside in a bowl.
Fillings:
Teriyaki Chicken: Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with foil. Slice the thigh fillets into long strips about 2-3cm wide and place in a small bowl. Add the teriyaki sauce and mix well to combine. Lay the strips out in a single layer on the baking sheet. There will be some teriyaki sauce left in the bottom of the bowl – use this to baste the chicken.
Bake the strips for 30 minutes. Every ten minutes turn the chicken over and baste with any remaining teriyaki sauce. Remove the chicken and when it is cool enough to handle, slice each strip crossways as thinly as you can. Place the meat in a bowl and add the mayonnaise and sugar if using. toss well to combine, then set aside until ready to use.
Salmon: Drain the tinned salmon and carefully remove any skin or bones you may find. Flake the fish gently in a small bowl with a fork, then add mayonnaise, sugar if using and tomato sauce. Mix well to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
To prepare: Lay the bamboo mat on the bench with the smoothest side facing up and the longest edge facing towards you. Place one seaweed (nori) sheet on the mat, also with a long edge closest towards you.
Spoon one-quarter of the cooled rice onto the nori sheet. Use your clean hands or the back of a spoon to gently spread the rice in an even layer right to the left and right edges of the sheet and so that it covers the bottom half of the nori sheet. The rice layer will only be about 1 cm thick.
Spoon one-quarter of the salmon or chicken mixture in a thin line down the centre of the rice from left to right. Try to smooth the surface so it is as evenly distributed as possible. Sprinkle the meat or fish with half a tablespoon of sesame seeds and a quarter each of the grated carrot and cucumber strips. Line up the cucumber strips lengthways along the food to make for easier wrapping.
Using the bamboo mat, roll the nori up and away from you towards the back of the bench. When the bamboo mat hits the other side use this to get a firm grip on the rolls. You can really be quite firm. Roll them back and forth to get a smooth finish along the length of the roll so everything within is evenly spread.
Pull the bamboo mat away a little so you can continue rolling it all the way to the other edge. Carefully lift the entire roll onto a clean platter or cutting board, seam side down and leave it there while you make the others. Over the next few minutes the nori sheet will stick to itself and remain in place.
To serve: Trim each end by a few millimetres to neaten it up and then cut each roll in half. Chill in an airtight container until required. Serve with soy sauce for dipping and a dot of wasabi on the side.
COST
$12.35 for 8 large nori rolls using chicken as a filling
Sunrice Rice and The $120 Food Challenge is giving away a prize pack of three packets of Sunrice Sushi Rice and a wonderful and wickedly sharp sashimi/carving knife. The total value of the prize pack is – what else? – $120.00
To enter, leave a comment below and give us your best suggestions for suitable lunchbox lunches or snacks that are easy to make, nutritious and can withstand the conditions of an Australian summer.
Please do NOT leave an entry comment on our Facebook page as we cannot accept them for competition purposes.
- Open to Australian residents only.
- Competition closes 7pm AEST Monday 4th February 2013.
- Winner will be selected by computer generated random number selector and will be advised by email.
- Winner MUST reply within 48 hours of email being sent to claim their prize or the prize will be re-drawn.
- The prize pack will be mailed to the winner’s nominated residential address within Australia by Sunrice Rice or their representative.
For me it’s muffins-they can be sweet or savoury, are easy to freeze and, if you take them out of the freezer just before you leave the house, they are often still cool at lunch time.
Mountain bread wraps with hummus, edamame, avocado and roasted capsicum! Anything vegan (like this wrap) tends to keep well in lunchboxes, since there aren’t any dairy or meat ingredients that are likely to spoil throughout the day. Follow me at luluintherunningshoes.wordpress.com for loads of easy vego and vegan lunch ideas – I’m going veg for the month of February!
We like rice paper rolls as a quick and nutritious, fresh lunchbox item – like sushi they can be vegetables only or you can pop a little teriyaki chicken in them. With vermicelli noodles and a dipping sauce they are light but filling!
My oldest daughter is going off to school for the first time next week and I really need some advice about lunchbox food, so this post was well-timed well for me. I was planning on making a whole bunch of muffins and freezing them… But I’m looking forward to reading everyone else’s ideas.
Mini quiches are my favourite. Easy finger food and I can make it with my gluten free pastry. I can change the flavours, so with the same recipe I can make something different each week.
Whenever we have a picnic, I have a covered plastic container that has compartments. I fill each compartment with something different: carrot sticks, cucumber spears, cherry tomatoes, hummus, olives, crackers, cheese, and pickles. We all love it, and it breaks up the monotony of the sandwiches that usually accompany it.
We are big fans of wraps, salads or even just the humble sandwich.
Tuna cakes, with a few vegies thrown in. Filling enough they don’t even need bread, just some fruit on the side or salad veggies.
Another filling for Sushi is tuna and Japanese mayo (Kewpie) found in Woolies and Coles. This would be the treat for my youngest child. She has been making her own home made Sushi since she was in Primary School. For the adult lunch box treat you could add slices of Korean Pickled Radish (this is the yellow crunchy stuff you often find in store bought sushi) to the ingredients above. This can be bought at Asian grocers.
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My daughter loves a little tub of hummus dip with sugar snap peas, carrot sticks, red caps sticks and some crackers – especially if veggies are from our garden. Also can’t go past a good cookie
For summer time, my favourite addition to the lunch box is cherry tomatoes. They are bite size and kept in a container, they don’t squish and best of all, I pick them from the garden so they are cheap, delicious and healthy.
Zucchini slice is a favourite in our house, you can make a big tray of it, slice it and then freeze it so its quick to grab out the freezer and pack in the lunch boxes
We love to make spaghetti and cheese scrolls (using a scone recipe) which fills the kids up pretty quickly and there are often left over for a quick snack on the way to school after the rest have gone into their lunch boxes
My boys like a deconstructed sushi salad- all the ingredients for sushi, but in a rice mix with thin snipped nori and sesame seeds over the top…..
This answer will prove I don’t have kids …
A $10 note in a paper bag is a perfect lunch. Saves washing up, wastage, and nothing will wilt in the lunchbox!!
Because you are my friend, and I can hear your tone of voice Cuppy, this made me laugh. xx
As a special treat we’ve been making sushi rolls for a couple of years now once a week, the night before school mid-week to break the monotony. We buy a roasted free range chook and use the bulk of it for dinner that night leaving aside enough of the shredded breast to add into a nori roll with grated carrot and some teriyaki sauce. One likes avocado too. To get around the harsh, aussie summer conditions just add a small freezer pack to the lunch box.
Great ideas in this post
Daughter only just asked for cold rolls or sushi this morning!! we use whatever left overs are in the fridge, lots of fresh produce, and add a freezer pack, just to make sure
My 3 year old has just decided she loves a wrap with ham and lettuce! She does also love sushi, but with working full time it’s a bit hard to get that organised in the morning!
I make up a batch of multigrain dough in the bread maker and then divided it about twenty times. Roll them into balls then flatten them and spread with sauce of your choice – I use pizza sauce, sprinkle with diced ham and cheese. Bake in the oven for twenty mins and you have twenty mini ham and cheese rolls.
My 6 year old would love me to start making sushi
Top picks would be chopped up vegies and fresh fruit and sweet or savoury muffins. As a child I LOVED cold chicken nuggets with mayonnaise, but I’m not sure that I’ll ever go back to chicken nuggets.
Teriyaki chicken sushi would be my grown up chicken nuggets
I have started making rolled oat rolls or logs for myself like those horrible muesili bars in boxes. I found the recipe and tweeked it for myself. They can be wrapped in clingwrap, and are nutritious, and healthy.
Dips like guacamole or corn relish with a selection of corn chips, vegie sticks and cheese and a boiled egg. Keeps well with an ice pack and you can vary the amount easily for little kids and big kids.
Veggie sticks and hard cheese with a sandwich. Frittata (made with loads of veggies – grated carrot, sautéed leek, zucchini, cherry tomatoes on top with a little cheddar slices are good too, but I generally put in a cold pack if it’s going to be kept unrefrigerated.
Our family is going through a hummus phase at the moment, so that with some vege goes down a treat.
Best lunchbox treat? Honey joys with raisins. Good quality honey, juicy raisins. Perfect!
The best lunchbox idea I have is the wrap….mayo egg, lettuce and shredded carrot…simple but effective!
Anzac biscuits or Weet bix slice are the go to treats for my four boys.
If I’m taking lunch somewhere that I think might have keeping cold issues I make what I call antipasto rolls – basically a bread roll (something with a crisp crust but soft on the inside) filled with salami, sundried tomato, grilled capsicum, artichoke hearts, pitted olives – almost anything from the antipasto section of the deli. Don’t use butter or mayo. You can add lettuce or rocket for extra crunch. The beauty of these is that they can be made the night before which means that they are perfect for a day out. My family love these.
Leftovers!!
Just found your blog the other day when I was Googling for wrap ideas, and found this post: http://120dollarsfoodchallenge.com/2011/01/24/lunchbox-treats-ideas-for-wrap-fillings/ And wraps was what I was also going to answer here today! We also enjoy salads (though if no refrigeration, they may not always last as well) Also, being from Canada originally, bagels & cream cheese seem to be much more popular there, so that’d be another idea!
Anyway, I’m really enjoying your blog so far, and always nice to see a frugal blog with Australia in mind, as many seem to be American
my boys love seaweed. We buy the seasoned Korean style ones that are already in single serve packages. Pair it with a cold rice/pasta or quinoa, non-mayo based, chickpeas/beans/edamame salad. An alternative to sushi is onigiri (Japanese rice balls)
Pieces of celery stuffed with ricotta or light cream cheese – seasoned and flavoured to taste (or even a tiny container of vegemite to dip the celery in).
Devilled or curried stuffed egg halves.
Washed and dried snow peas (so are still crunchy) are great, together with cherry tomatoes and carrot sticks. (may need to top and tail stringy bits).
Skewers with cubes of cheese, ham; plus cherry tomato, red capsicum etc.)
(All of the above would need to be kept chilled maybe by packing with asmall frozen drink).
My daughter loves sushi! Another popular choice here is pasta salad. I cook some extra pasta up and we add either tnned tuna, leftover roast chicken or some ham, chopped tomato, cucumber, maybe corn and some mayo or dressing….you can do rice salad instead esp if gluten free.
Hi Sandra, What a great competition. I don’t know about it coping in the aussie heat, but for work I do love to make up an quiche with no pastry (flour in the mix). They freeze easily, and crisp up nicely in the sandwich press at work (just make sure you use foil!)
Mountain bread bacon and sour cream quiche!
I have a daughter who decides regularly that she does not eat sandwiches. Often we make up a ploughman’s lunch – some cold meat, cherry tomatoes, mini cucumbers and mini cheese, basically anything mini, all popped into a sandwich lunchbox. I must admit though it looks lovely when I pack it, I can not provide evidence of it being the same after a journey in the schoolbag! This never comes back home unlike the sandwiches.
Italian style pasta salad with chorizo, halved cherry tomatoes, cannelini beans, red onion, corn and low fat Italian dressing. I also freeze tubs of yoghurt for the lunch boxes, keeps everything cold inside the lunch box and has defrosted enough to eat by lunch time.
Cold steamed rice balls keep nicely and taste great as well as pieces of salad veggies to go with it-tomatoes , carrots, radishes, celery etc
I find that salads with diced carrot, cucumber, tomato, lettuce with cheese, nuts and rasins topped with dressing are a tasty convenient lunch that keeps my family going and my budget humming!
Spinach savory muffins, make in bulk and put in the box frozen with an ice pack. Add a pack of Philly cheese and I’m set for lunch
Fritters are really good – they can be frozen and they can be eaten hot or cold. My favourites are zucchini and corn carrots with a spicy tomato relish. Delicious!
Mini pizzas made from english muffins, so easy the kids make them with me supervising and its an easy way to add veges. Great cold or heated up and stored for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge. Usually ours doesn’t last that long.
Salmon patties, they’re as delicious as they are good for you & go OK in a lunch box with a frozen drink bottle in it.
Ham & Cheese Pinwheels using wraps. Adding grated carrot and cream cheese, they are delicious and I know my children eat every little bit!!!!
My daughter loves my homemade Banana choc chip muffins they are yummy and healthy when I add organic products
I make a zucchini slice which my children love in their lunchbox. I can add any veges I want into it and it makes for a healthy lunchbox option and doesn’t need to be in the fridge.
youghurt coated sultanas are healthy but also delicious snacks
i have just made bacon & cheese savoury muffins for the kids lunches for tomorrow… easy to make, quick to cook & good to eat..
Whats wrong with vegemite sandwiches!
Personally, I love tuna, egg, salad and cheese wraps (gluten free thanks!) quick to make and nutritious!
I make a Weet-Bix slice that is quick, economical, reasonably healthy, delicious and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
How about a delicious Le Snak. I grew up on these and they rocked my world back in the 80′s!
I make pizza scrolls. Store bought sheets of puff pastry, tomato paste, cheese, basil leaves and chopped bocconcini with chopped semi dried tomatoes. They are yummy, keep well and ensure the lunch box comes home empty.
Home made bento boxes are delicious – try combos like teriyaki salmon, dumplings (like gyoza), a side salad of greens and cherry tomatoes, and a serving of fruit.
Mini muffins and homemade slices!
Mini antipasto platter… a bit of interesting cheese, some interesting pickled olives/capsicum, some dip and some veg!
We love to have mini muffin pizzas made from english muffins and topped with fresh ham or bacon, pineapple, capsicum, onion and cheese.. They’re delicious hot or cold
Muffins or patties filled with veges and leftover rice or noodles, filled with goodness, just pop a ice pack in the lunch box!
Has to be for little-ones kebab’s made on paddlepop sticks, they help make them so they choose the fruit, vegetables, meat etc that they will enjoy, same can be made for adult’s on kebab sticks
Rice paper rolls or ‘Bikini Muffins’ – using the recipie for zuchini slice, we make muffins. We change the ingredients & add things like corn or carrot.
The kids and I make savoury scrolls together – sr flour, butter, milk and a handful of cheese-mix, knead and roll – then add what you like – My kids favorites are vegemite and cheese and cheese and bacon .They taste great, keep well and can be frozen – so perfect all round .
Cheap homemade yogo!
4tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp corn flour
120 grams sugar
800ml milk
Stir dry ingredients together and mix in 300mls of milk
Heat remaining 500mls of milk in a pot until hot then pour in the chocolate mix stir until thickened
Remove from heat and pour into a bowl that can place cling wrap on securely
Cling wrap needs to touch yogo so that a skin doesn’t form
Place in fridge over night
My kids are beyond plain sandwiches – but enjoy fresh meat/salad on a small hotdog roll, and a soft-of ploughman’s snack – cheese, salami and crackers. Of course, add a sweet biscuit and piece of fruit, and no one’s hungry!!
My kids favourite treat for their lunch box is savoury scrolls. So easy to make and can be made in so many varieties… Vegemite & cheese, pizza, ham and pickles… So quick and easy, and hold up well in the lunchbox.
easy for us is crispy crumbed chicken cooked in oven then sliced into sushi with mayo and avacado or cucumber.
Savory muffins with cheese spread.
Rolled sliced chicken, ham and polony with salad and crackers so she can make her own cracker sandwhich
What a great idea to pack sushi rolls in the kids’ lunch boxes. Two out of 3 kids here love sushi, but we usually pack things like watermelon or grapes plus muesli bars. My boys refuse to take sandwiches, so these would be perfect!
we usually bbq on sunday night so we cook extra chicken thighs (either plain, tandoori or terikyaki) to use for wraps with salad for the next couple of days. My kids also like savoury scrolls made with whatever we have in the fridge, bacon or ham, plus cheese and tomato paste and a scone batter. Mini frittatas are great too you can hide the veges in them and get away with it – sometimes!!
having four children the quicker the lunches the better, and always a ice brick in the lunch boxes. Sandwich, fruit, muesli bar, juice and maybe some nuts. Haven’t had a complaint yet. Only that they want more. LOL
Sushi Rolls – LOVE eating them, scared to make them. Well, no time like the present – bite the bullet…or is that the sushi roll???
I make mini egg an d bacon pies to freeze by lunch they are right to eat with the added bonus of keeping everything else cool as well
My hubby and son love my Zucchini and Corn Fritters in their lunchboxes! I usually make up a big batch, wrap and freeze them in lots of 4, then simply pop them into the lunchbox in the morning with a small pot of tzatziki to dip them in – the fritters will have defrosted enough by lunchtime to eat, and the tzatziki is delicious with them.
I make a mean banana bread which I portion into muffin cases. I also love pita bread pizza which you can use whatever you have at home (ham, cheese, capscium, pinepple etcc.) and bake it in the oven the night before and they taste delish cold.
Apple pikelettes or pineapple ring pancakes really easy to add a little extra fruit into your childs lunchbox.
Just having a bake day today (bit disorganised but holidays went too fast) we are cooking apple/rhubarb pull apart, zucchini/sweet potato bread, nut mix muesli bars, carrot/pineapple cake and jam drop biscuits. That should last the week
sushi is a all time family fav especially for class parties!
Salad wraps, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, alfalfa, carrots, with hummus
Just purchased a 12 hole square baking tray. This has plans for making the conventional not so conventional – square baked donuts for my yeast free person, square carrot cakes for lunch boxes, square quiches with round tomato wheels, anything square is the flavour of the day
Make a simple fried rice using cooked rice, carrot, onions, peas, ham and a little soy.
Freeze and by lunch time it will be thawed – beautiful!
I’ve got a freezer full of biscuit/cookie dough – make the biscuits, put them on the tray, squash em with a fork, load up your tray then pop it in the freezer instead of the oven. 10 mins later – bag them! Voila – they cook from frozen and I’ve got enough time (15mins or so) to bake a tray before school! I also freeze loads of muffins, savoury and sweet ready to be thawed in school lunchboxes. And I’ve got a good, quick recipe for scroll dough – to be filled with ham & cheese or cheese & vegemite! A little lunchbox freezer pack or small frozen drink bottle is the go.
I’ve made marinated chicken wings and rice. It survives the trip into work and its lovely microwaved or eaten cold.
Nigiri-zushi is the best-known variety of sushi; it consists of a piece of fish or seafood (or vegetable or even meat) placed on an oblong finger of lightly vinegared rice, often seasoned with a dab of wasabi. Fish is usually raw; shellfish is sometimes cooked.