Cook the fried rice with equal parts water — one cup per cup of rice, less than the packet says — then leave it uncovered and fluff it with a fork so the steam escapes while you prep. In the pan it goes down in one thin layer, not a pile, over fierce heat, and the soy sauce runs around the hot edge to sizzle before being stirred in; when the rice starts to crackle, that sound is the last of the water leaving. Elsewhere on this page stickiness is the asset. Warm rice seasoned with vinegar and furikake presses into tuna-stuffed onigiri triangles, a cup of rice mixed with diced salmon and furikake holds together like a dough for breadcrumbed bites, and rice blended with eggs and mozzarella sets into a crisp pizza base under buffalo chicken. Day-old rice suits the sushi waffles best.
Rice crust pizza blends 100 g of air-fryer-cooked rice with eggs and mozzarella into a smooth base, crisps it at 180 °C for 15 minutes, then tops it with a 10-minute buffalo chicken — diced breast simmered with onion, broth, 3 tbsp of sriracha and cream — plus mozzarella for a final 5-minute melt. Crispy base, creamy heat on top, naturally wheat-free. Serves 4.
Sushi waffles crisp cooked rice (day-old works best) in a waffle maker for about 10 minutes, then top it like sushi: whipped avocado-butter spread, finely chopped salt-cured salmon, a drizzle of mayo and sriracha, and sesame seeds. A crunchy rice "waffle" instead of a roll — no rolling mat, ready in 25 minutes. Serves 2.
Crispy furikake salmon bites turn a cup of leftover rice and a cup of diced salmon into golden air-fried rice balls: mix with furikake until sticky, roll into 4 cm balls, coat in egg and breadcrumbs and air-fry at 180 °C for 15 minutes. A protein-packed snack or bento filler made from leftovers. Makes about 10 bites; serves 3.
Spicy tuna yaki onigiri stuff a sriracha-mayo tuna filling into furikake rice triangles, get a teriyaki brush and air-fry at 180 °C for 15 minutes until the outside crisps. Canned tuna, one cup of rice, and a triangle mold (or your hands) — crunchy grilled-style onigiri in half an hour. Makes about 4; serves 2.
Crack salmon sushi cups are baked muffin-tin sushi: dice 350 g of salmon, glaze it with soy, honey, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger, pile it over pressed sushi rice in nori-lined cups and bake 15 minutes at 180 °C. Crispy nori edges, sticky glaze, party-ready in about half an hour. Makes a muffin tin’s worth — serves 4.
Restaurant-style egg fried rice is about removing water at every step: cook the rice with equal parts water (1 cup per 1 cup of rice), fluff it and let the steam out, drain the watery egg white through a sieve, fry the eggs first, then the rice in one thin layer on a blazing-hot pan, and run the soy sauce around the hot edge. When the rice starts to crackle, the last moisture is gone — it's frying, not steaming. About 35 minutes with the rice, serves 2.
A 1910 recipe from the Picayune Creole Cookbook turns cooked rice into light waffles, crisp outside and soft within, because whipped egg whites folded in at the end lift what would otherwise be a heavy batter. Whisk the rice with egg yolks, milk, melted butter, flour, and baking powder, then fold in two whites beaten to stiff peaks; fold gently, or the air you whipped in escapes. Bake about 5 minutes in a preheated waffle iron. It is also a good use for leftover rice, so day-old rice from the fridge is fine.