Veggie Sushi

I'm back! Thanks to a nasty stomach virus, I was stuck on the couch for a couple days with a sour stomach, so cooking and writing about food was the last thing on my mind! Plus, we had lots of leftover food from our baby shower we had recently, so I haven't really done much cooking lately to blog about. But now, I am in good health and ready to get back into the kitchen!

Today's blog is once again focused on sushi. This recipe is not only friendly to those with a shellfish allergy, but it is also vegetarian friendly, making it is a great dish to bring to parties. I was really surprised how easy it was to put together too. I had never made a classic sushi roll before, so I had no idea how to go about it. But after doing a little research online, I was able to master it easily. (If you've ever made a burrito or pinwheel sandwiches, you'll be able to do this no problem!) I didn't even need a fancy bamboo sushi mat. In fact, I just used a placemat from my table as a substitute. The placemat I used is made of little wooden sticks tied together, giving it the flexibility and stability of a bamboo mat, so it worked perfectly. Just remember: a big part of mastering cooking is learning how to make substitutions. Whether you're making substitutions for ingredients, or getting creative with cooking tools; substitutions will often save you a lot of time and money. And sometimes, if you're lucky, you can even stumble upon a better variation of a recipe.

So here is the recipe for veggie sushi. The vegetables I used in this recipe are totally subject to your own liking. You can use whatever fillings you'd like to make it best for you.

Veggie Sushi

Ingredients:
Sushi rice (see my Unagi Nigiri recipe)
Nori (sheets of dried seaweed)
Avocado, cut into long thin strips
Carrots, cut into long thin strips
Cucumber, cut into long thin strips
Cream cheese, cut into long thin strips

Tools you will need:
A bamboo sushi mat (or a substitute such as a flexible placemat), covered in saran wrap
A very sharp knife
A small bowl of warm water for your hands

Before you begin assembling the sushi, make sure to have all your ingredients prepared.

Lay the bamboo sushi mat on a cutting board with bamboo strips going horizontally from you. Make sure it it completely covered with saran wrap so it doesn't get food stuck in between the bamboo.

Place a sheet of nori onto the sushi mat with the rough side of the nori facing up. NOTE: If you look carefully, you will see there is a rough side and a smooth side to the nori. Always make sure the smooth side is facing out and the rough side is facing in. That way the sushi rolls will have a nice smooth finish to them.

Spread a thin layer, 3/4 to 1 cup, of sushi rice over 3/4 of the nori leaving approximately one inch of uncovered nori at the top and bottom of the sheet. Note: It helps to wet your fingers with warm water when you are patting the rice onto the nori to keep the rice from sticking to your hands.

Arrange strips of avocado, carrots, cucumber, and cream cheese lengthwise (horizontal) along the edge of the rice closest too you.

Placing your wet fingers on the ingredients, carefully bring the bottom end of the rolling mat and the plastic wrap up and over the ingredients (tucking the end of the nori to start a roll). Pull back the rolling mat and plastic wrap, as necessary, so it does not get rolled into the sushi. NOTE: Roll tightly with firm pressure.

Continue rolling the sushi and pulling back the rolling mat and plastic wrap, as necessary, until you have approximately 1 to 2 inches of the top of the nori showing. Rub a small amount of warm water on the edge of the nori and bring the nori around so that it completes the sushi roll.

Gently squeeze the rolling mat around the sushi roll until it is firm and forms an even roll (be carefully not to squeeze too hard, as you may crush the ingredients or squeezed them out).

With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half. Then cut each half in half. Then cut those in half once more. This will help make sure you get even cuts of sushi. NOTE: Be sure to rinse your knife off in between each cut. This will help prevent the rice from sticking to the knife so it doesn't pull the sushi apart.

Serve fresh with kabaraki sauce, soy sauce, or any other preferred sauce drizzled on top. (For kabaraki sauce recipe, see my Unagi Nigiri recipe.) You can also cover with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to be served.