Sushi Made Simple

We had a few friends over last night, and I made Miso Happy Soup, which is always a hit. I wanted something fun and compatible to start with as a little appetizer, and my usual work-night nut-cheese & crackers or chips & guac from the local really good Mexican place just didn't seem right. I decided it was time to try making sushi, which was a little scary, but I'd helped a friend make some years and years ago, and figured I could work it out. I was right. It turned out beautiful and delicious! Everybody loved it, which always makes me so happy.

To make this easy delicacy, you'll need a sushi rolling mat, nori sheets (the outer wrapper of seaweed), cooked rice, and your choice of veggie fillings.

These are easy to find in many grocery stores and Asian markets, or order this one for $4.95 from Crate&Barrel.

I buy these in our local market. You can also order them from Amazon.

I'm not much concerned with making anything too traditional, so I used brown basmati rice. It's so much healthier than white rice, and it worked great. I filled some of my rolls with Super Seaweed Salad (for a salty-fishy flavor), avocado, and carrots. Others were filled with nut-cheese, avocado, bell peppers, and tamari-toasted sunflower seeds.

I made two sauces - the traditional wasabi-tamari mix, made with real wasabi. I learned that most of the wasabi you get in restaurants is actually horseradish dyed green, because the real deal is so expensive. But, you can get a jar of real wasabi powder for about $7 in many markets' Asian food sections. Just mix a little with water until it forms a paste, and let it sit for about 10 minutes to develop its flavor. Then mix in tamari to taste. Easy! My other sauce was actually the favorite here last night. It was just a splash or two of tamari, maple syrup, and pepper-sesame oil. It had that nice sweet-salty-spicy teriyaki sort of thing going on.

Now for the how-to. I found the following 9 minute video from HealthyVegan, and it was really helpful in giving me the basics, and showing me the technique for rolling the sushi into tight little bundles. Watch and learn!



Fun, huh? I can't wait to make some more. And I know what I'll be bringing to pot lucks from now on!