I tried the viral $8 H-E-B Strawberry Sando. Then I made it ‘right way’ at home

H-E-B’s newest sushi bar item has some customers saying, here everything’s not better. But that isn’t stopping people from trying to get their hands on the Sushiya Strawberry Sando—even if it is just to hate-review it. 

H-E-B’s Texas twist on the Japanese sandwich—it uses Texas toast instead of traditional milk bread—is the focal point of the criticism. But what else do you expect from a grocer that is so deeply associated with Texas pride? 

I tried the sandwich myself, and it’s really not that bad. In addition to using Texas toast, it tastes like H-E-B opted for Cool Whip instead of fresh whipped cream. It is also way overpriced at $8, even with the $2-off coupon the store has been promoting. Ultimately, I get that it’s a disgrace to the Japanese fruit sando name.

The controversy surrounding the sandwich inspired me to make it at home, the proper way. 

Ingredients

• Strawberries 
• Milk bread 
• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar  
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 

Steps

1. In a bowl, use an electric mixer to whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and ¼ cup of powdered sugar together until your cream forms “stiff peaks.” Peaks are when the cream appears peak-like on the whisk when you lift it up. There are three levels to peaks: soft, medium, and stiff. Stiff peaks should hold their shape really well and not slump over when the whisk is lifted. It took me 7 minutes on medium speed to achieve this consistency. Hack: Put a bowl and whisk attachments in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before getting started. 
2. Cut the tops off whole strawberries.
3. Evenly coat two slices of milk bread with cream. Fully cover the bread, but make sure your layer is not too thick. 
4. Place up to six strawberries (the number is dependent on how big the bread slice you are working with is) in a criss-cross design on a bread slice. Make sure four of the strawberries are all facing the same way in a diagonal line. The placement of the strawberries is important. Keep in mind the sandwich will eventually be cut diagonally, exposing the design. 
5. Apply another layer of whipped cream on top of and around the strawberries. Hack: Add a bit of whipped cream in between the strawberries as you place them in the sandwich.
6. Top with the other slice of bread. 
7. Tightly wrap the sandwich in plastic wrap. 
8. Draw a line on the sandwich wrapper so you know which direction to cut. The line should mark the direction of the four strawberries in the sandwich.  
9. Place the sandwich in the fridge for 1 hour to set the cream. 
10. Unwrap the sandwich. Cut off the crust. Then cut diagonally in the direction of the line you drew. 

This recipe is super flexible. If you don’t like strawberries, you can swap them out for a fruit of your choice. Mangoes and kiwis are some other popular Japanese fruit sando fillings. For the whipped cream, you can also use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. You can also use a hand whisk, an electric mixer, or a stand mixer. Just, whatever you do, stay away from Texas toast! 

Homemade Japanese fruit sando ratings

Difficulty rating: 8/10. For a recipe with so few ingredients, I wasn’t expecting it to be as technical as it was. For starters, it took me four rounds of making whipped cream until I mastered stiff peak consistency. My first attempt left me with a tub of butter, and, at the time, the H-E-B sandwich wasn’t looking half bad. It also seemed like everything, from each strawberry placement to how the sandwich was cut, really mattered. But due to how much intention went into the recipe, cutting into the final product and seeing the design was extra gratifying.

Taste rating: 5/10. This recipe was delicious and did taste better than the H-E-B version. While I did taste a difference in both the bread and whipped cream, I’m still not sure it was worth the effort this recipe took.

Would I make this again?: I probably won't make Japanese fruit sandos at home ever again. However, another thing I will also never be doing is buying pre-made whipped cream. While it took me a while to perfect whipped cream, it’s actually pretty simple once you get the hang of it. It’s much more delicious and cuts out any additives if you make it yourself. I could totally see myself making homemade whipped cream to dip strawberries into whenever I have a craving.

Let us know if you try out this Japanese fruit sando recipe and what you want to see us try next. 

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