vegetarian sushi binge

I learned that, contrary to popular belief, the word sushi does not have anything to do with the raw fish most people associate with the word, but rather, it simply describes the rice used in 'sushi' items. Sushi rice appears to be the key to successfully making sushi, beyond that you can combine it with anything in the world that you think would be delicious and you'll probably have a decent meal. NOW YOU KNOW.

SUSHI RICE:

First remove starches from 4 cups of short-grain rice. Basically just soak and rinse off. Be sure to strain the rice for 10-15 minutes after rinsing. Bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover, stirring often, until the rice has soaked up the water and is a soft consistency.

Once you have your rice ready you must turn it into sticky rice. Combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt, pour over the rice and mix thoroughly. Some people add a squeeze of lemon but not me.

So now that I think I have perfected the art of sushi rice, I took it one step further and made sushi millet. It isn't as crazy as it sounds- it's actually healthier than rice and tastes delightful. You can find the recipe for it HERE. The sushi I prepared this particular evening was a happy variety of rice and millet (5 rolls each!).

VEGGIES:

Once you have your rice ready to go, the fun starts. You can put fucking anything in a sushi roll, given it is the right shape. We created a smorgasbord of vegetable strips so everyone could pick and choose what they wanted in their rolls. Things that are awesome raw include cucumber, asparagus, red peppers, avocado, jalapeno, and carrots. Throw some cream cheese on for good measure, if you're into that sort of thing. I boiled strips of sweet potato and shiitake mushrooms in a pan with water and soy sauce and once they cooled off they were PERFECT in the rolls.









ROLL:

Assembly is a snap once you get it down. Smooth a thin layer of rice (or millet!) over a nori sheet (that's seaweed, don't panic, they have that shit at Kroger) like in the picture I have so kindly provided you. Place assorted veggies lengthwise in strips, all the way across, and roll carefully, beginning with the side closest to you.

Once you've got your roll, you can slice it into lovely little pieces. Don't forget the sriracha, wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce on the side if you want to do it right.