learn to make (vegetarian) sushi

As an aficionado of Japanese food, I’ve been looking for a veg*n sushi kit, but I think I’ll just have to buy a regular one and veganize it! Hmmmm.

I found a recipe last night for the perfect sushi rice:
http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-make-perfect-sushi-rice

I may actually head to the 99 Ranch Market this afternoon to pick some up. I also need the seaweed wrapper (whatever it’s called), a bamboo mat, and some veggies (probably cucumbers, avocado, asparagus, and carrots). Oh yeah, and I need wasabi. Guess I have a few things to keep me away from the internet today, and help me with one of my other goals. We’ll see if I’m actually motivated enough to do all of this after spending the morning volunteering for AIDS Walk SF.

Vegetarian Hand Rolled Sushi (Temaki) Adapted from a recipe c. Television Food Network, G.P.

Sushi rice, recipe follows
Nori
Possible filling ingredients:
Carrot, julienned
Orange and red bell peppers, julienned
Cucumber, julienned (Chinese B without seeds, or regular is also ok)
Asparagus
Avocado
Scallions, julienned
Garnishes:
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds
Black sesame seeds/salt combination

Place a half sheet of nori horizontally in front of you on your mat. Place rice on left third of nori, leaving border of nori all around. Place filling ingredients vertically across middle of rice. Fold near corner of nori over to begin folding into cone shape. Continue to roll until cone is formed.
Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce as condiments.

SUSHI RICE
(c. Television Food Network, G.P.)
3 1/3 cups short grain rice
4 cups water, plus 1/4 cup water
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
5 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt

Rinse rice in water until the water runs clear and then drain in a colander for 1 hour. Place the drained rice in a rice cooker or in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and add 4 cups water. Over medium heat, cover and bring the water to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, or until water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, remove lid, and place a towel over pot. Replace lid and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
While the rice cooks, combine vinegar, sugar and remaining 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Heat over low temperatures, stirring, until sugar and salt dissolve. Let cool.

Empty rice into a hangiri (or other nonmetallic) tub and spread it evenly over the bottom with a shamoji (or large wooden spoon). Run the spatula through the rice in slicing motions to separate the grains. While doing this, slowly add vinegar mixture. Add only as much as is necessary; the rice should not be mushy. If you have help, fan the rice with an uchiwa (fan) during the cooling and mixing procedures.

Do not refrigerate the rice. Keep it in the tub covered with a clean cloth until ready to use. The rice will last one day.

Now I just need to get the ingredients and make it!

I quite like sushi. I haven’t had it much since I became a vegetarian but, I’d like to!

I did a second sushi class on Saturday, which was interesting, as the woman giving the demo used a different rice recipe, and used spoons for spreading it out as filling. I made it again myself yesterday and ended up with four sushi logs, even though I halved the recipe! So I had some for dinner last night and have taken the remainder to work for lunch. I’m now content to mark this as ‘done’, even though I know I’ll keep experimenting, because I’m happy enough with the way the sushi is turning out: the rice is holding together and it all looks very nice on the plate!

I did a sushi class at the weekend and think I could get the hang of the rolling part. However, the rice that we used in the class didn’t taste so great, even though it had been cooked by the instructor (who, needless to say, wasn’t Japanese). I think it showed me that the rice is the most basic thing you need to get right, and that this is likely to be the difficult part. I haven’t been able to have a go on my own as yet, because it’s so difficult to get ingredients where I’m living: no wasabi and no pickled ginger in stock anywhere at the moment, and sushi without wasabi is just no fun whatsoever!

I made my very own sushi today!! It was great fun, and as you can see on the picture, the result was not too bad either. The only problem I had was the rice. It got a bit too wet and it took ages to get ready. I used avocado, cucumber, asparagus and carrot as a filler! Everybody liked it a lot!!!

Tomorrow is going to be the day when I will try making my own sushi for the first time! I have decided that I will try hosomaki sushi because my receipe book said that it is the easiest for beginners. I decided on the following fillings: avocado, asparagus and carots. I am sure though, that I will miserably fail, as I was not able to get the right japanese vinegar….anyway, I am looking forward to my sunday project!

I live in arcata of humboldt county, most people are vegatarian here and our local sushi place, tomo’s makes awesome veggie sushi, which I have mimicked at home. They have a buddha belly, which is brown rice, marinated tofu, avacado, steamed carrots and broccoli, and this is key almond butter. Oh my god so good, and also the inside out roll with tempura yams it’s as if you died and went to heaven. Sometimes if I’m feeling lazy, I just make brown rice, and put steamed carrots, broccoli, spinach, and tofu with almond butter. Same thing I guess, just less work. `

now I only need to convince the rest of my family that they actually also want to eat sushi and join in the fun!