Spring is upon us, and as I sadly say goodbye to some of my favorites soups and stews, I say hello to some bright and flavorful meals. While sushi is good anytime (and good for you), I think it's a great springtime treat. It's tasty, light but filling, and relatively easy to make. Joe is my sushi chef, and I'm lucky to have him. He does all the rolling, and if I were the one rolling, I might have to revise the last sentence and that bit about "relatively easy to make." ha! I haven't exactly tried to roll up my own sushi, but Joe does it so well.. why would I impose? ;)I also enjoy the versatility of this dish. It's a great way to use up veg, and the veggies are raw, so you'll get the optimum vitamin/mineral benefits from them. And don't forget the seaweed! Does the thought of seaweed gross you out? It really does not taste crazy, and I have picky tastes. Besides, I love thinking about all the good stuff I'm getting! I really like this site touting the goodness of sea vegetables: http://www.oceanvegetables.com/seaweed-benefits.html Ideally, eating a sea vegetable once or twice a week is recommended for vegans, but that never happens for me. We do eat sushi regularly, though, or we'll throw some kombu in a soup.
So there isn't really a recipe for sushi other than the for the rice. Then you can just roll in whatever you like. My favorite combo is rice with veganaise, marinated tempeh, carrots, avocado (duh), cucumber, daikon. You could also spread on some umeboshi plum paste, which is tasty, and Joe likes that a lot. Play with it, and try new combinations. It's a fun dish to make with a friend or spouse or even to play host at a sushi party! ha. That sounded cheesy, but I really do think that'd be fun.
Sushi Rice
3 cups water
2 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 T brown rice vinegar
1 T mirin
Combine the water and rice in a pressure cooker (or follow stove-top direction from the rice package). Bring the pressure to high over high heat. Decrease heat to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down for another 10 minutes.
Transfer the rice to a large bowl and drizzle the vinegar and mirin over. Gently toss the rice to coat. Set aside until you're ready to use.
Marinated Tempeh
1/4 cup tamari
2 T water
1 T minced ginger (or about a tsp. ground ginger)
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 ounces tempeh
1 tsp canola oil
Whisk the tamari, water, ginger, mustard, and sesame oil in an 8 inch square baking pan. Cut the tempeh in half horizontally, place in the marinade, and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 hour, turning halfway through.
Preheat the broiler. Line a heavy, rimmed backing sheet with foil and brush with the canola oil. Transfer the tempeh to the pan in a single layer, preserving the marinade. Broil for 5 minutes or until golden on top, Turn the tempeh over, brush with the remaining marinade. Broil for 5 more minutes. Cool completely. Slice into strips for the sushi.
Lemon-Ginger Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 T mirin
2 tsp. minced ginger (or some crushed ginger)
Whisk all together!
Dainty little single-filling rolls are nice and all, but - as you can tell from the picture - I like to pack mine full of goodies. Sure, they might be a mouthful, but it's a better return on your prep time (and nori) investment. And don't forget the wasabi... unless yer yella'.
I don't know why my comment says it's from "Michael." That was me, Joe.