A little prep work is all you need for a quick and delicious sushi meal at home. Fish is not needed to have a satisfying sushi experience. Adding a range of raw and cooked vegetables lends great texture.
First prepare sushi rice. Sushi rices cooks in 20 minutes of less.
Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool with the lid on for 10-15 minutes. Once cool, remove from pan and toss with a bit of rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar. ( If you do not have rice vinegar you can skip this step)
I used roasted beets and raw carrot in my sushi rolls as well as smoked tofu and paper thin slices of lemon.The lemon gives a nice acidity and balance to the umami flavor from soy sauce. Other winter vegetables that would be lovely in a roll are Daikon radish, cooked sweet potato and sautéed mushrooms. Of course you can’t go wrong with a little avocado and scallion as well.
To prepare the beets, I cut them into matchsticks and tossed them in coconut oil and salt. I roasted them in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes or so until they were cooked through and a bit crispy.
While the beets were roasting I julienned some carrots and sautéed some smoked tofu in a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil.
To begin rolling your sushi, clear a space to work and set up your
Mise En Place ( place to work in the kitchen)
Start with your toasted Nori sheet, shiny side down.
Using wet hands, place rice on 3/4 of the Nori leaving about an inch of space at the top.
Less is more with the rice.
Next along the very bottom of the Nori, begin placing your veggies. Again, less is more.
Slowly begin to roll the Nori, pausing at the top, where there is no rice. Using your hands, wet the top of the Nori that does not have rice and do a final roll, pressing to seal. Allow the roll to rest on the seam while you continue to roll more.
It may take a few tries but you will get the hang of it.
Slice sushi rolls using the sharpest knife you have. Wetting the knife helps.
Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.
