I have fond memories of waffle makers. Back when I lived in the States, I became accustomed to using this clever contraption on mornings spent in local motels as my family road-tripped. It saddened me that, as I got older, they lost their novelty… that is, until lockdown, of course. 

Over the last few years, the internet has come up with a range of waffle-iron recipes that go beyond the Belgian waffle. One of my personal favourites is this haloumi and zucchini waffles with smoked salmon and eggs. But recently, TikTok has looked past the batter and moved on to crispy rice sushi waffles, which means you might just get to use your waffle iron for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The sushi waffle takes its inspiration from the crispy-rice sushi that’s similar to nigiri and has been popularised by world-renowned Japanese restaurant Nobu. Credit for this version’s virality goes to food influencer Tor Minell, whose video has more than 14 million views. 

We obviously had to try this out in the delicious. test kitchen. And, to take it up a notch, we threw in some mixed sashimi and our own homemade wasabi mayo, for good measure. Learn how to make it for dinner tonight below.

Related story: This TikTok user’s perfectly styled fridge goes viral for featuring flowers and a photo of her cat 

@deliciousaus You’ll never look at your waffle maker in the same way again with this recipe that takes seafood and convenience to a whole new level. Find the full recipe here: https://bit.ly/3Z7mkJq 📹: @Kriti Gupta, Lucy Nunes, Tracey Pattison, Abbey Pollock #delicious #makeitdelicious #deliciousfood #sushilovers #viralfood #trendingfood #sushitime #sushiart #foodtrends #foodart #sushirolls ♬ Originalton – speedup🐓

Sushi waffles

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (200g) sushi rice, rinsed well and drained
• ½ cup (125ml) rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs caster sugar
• Light olive oil cooking spray 
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 4 baby cucumbers, very thinly sliced lengthways
• 300g mixed sliced sashimi
• Small leaves, to serve (we used baby sorrel, mint and baby shiso)
• Lemon wedges, to serve
• Furikake (Japanese seasoning), to sprinkle

WASABI MAYO

• ½ cup kewpie mayonnaise
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tsp wasabi

METHOD

1. For the wasabi mayo, combine all ingredients together in a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Place the rinsed rice and 1½ cups (375ml) cold tap water in a medium saucepan over a high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover and cook, untouched, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stand, covered, for 5 minutes or until rice is just tender.
3. Meanwhile, use a fork to whisk vinegar, sugar and ½ tsp fine salt together in a small jug until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
4. Transfer cooked rice to a large, flat dish and spread out flat to cover surface evenly. Slowly sprinkle over the vinegar while rice is still hot. Keep turning over the rice while adding the vinegar mixture until it is completely absorbed. Fan rice to cool completely before using (mixture will be very sticky).
5. Preheat an electric 4-serve waffle maker, then lightly spray with oil. Spoon rice mixture into waffle maker using the back of a spoon to firmly press down. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from waffle maker and cool to room temperature.
6. Divide sushi waffles among serving plates, then spread with wasabi mayo. Top with avocado, cucumber and sashimi, then place leaves and lemon wedges alongside. Serve sprinkled with furikake.

Related story: ‘Sushi terrorism’ has hit Japan. Will Australia be immune?