Street Food Review – The Onigiri Truck Pops Up to Cruise LA for 30 Days

Fuji Foods Products, Inc. is testing the US market by exposing their onigiri concept in LA via a food truck.  I was fortunate enough to find them in Manhattan Beach last Sunday and decided to give them a try.

So what is onigiri?  Onigiri is simply a stuffed rice ball that comes with a variety of different fillings.  It’s not new; in fact, onigiri has been around for centuries in Japan and even today, it’s a major food staple there.

The most common shape is triangular; but the round onigiri which is similar in shape to a Gouda cheese wheel is also very prevalent.  It is usually wrapped with a strip of nori (seaweed which has been dried and roasted).  While both sushi and onigiri both typically have nori on the outside, they are not to be confused.  Onigiri is made out of salted rice whereas sushi is made from rice that has rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

The Onigiri Truck features the following onigiri:

• Tuna & Spicy Mayo Onigiri: tuna & spicy mayo placed in the middle of the onigiri and wrapped with a nori strap
• Vegetable & Chicken Onigiri: vegetables & chicken cooked with a sweet soy sauce and mixed into the rice
• Teriyaki Chicken Onigiri: grilled teriyaki chicken and seasoned rice
• Smoked Salmon & Onion with Mayo Onigiri: smoked salmon marinade with sliced onion mayo
• Edamame Onigiri: seasoned edamame mixed in rice

The Combination plate includes 2 onigiri, two Japanese fried chicken (karaage) and miso soup.

I sampled the Tuna & Spicy Mayo, Smoked Salmon & Onion with Mayo and the Edamame.  My favorite was the smoked salmon as the onion mayo really enhanced the onigiri.

The Onigiri Truck is a 30 day pop-up which debuted at the LA Street Food Festival on Saturday, July 21.  You can catch them the weekend of 7/28-7/29 at the Annual Summerfest  in Venice Beach.  They culminate their pop-up on the weekend of 8/11-8/12 where they will be at the 72^nd Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival. 

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