Vegetarian Sushi

What do you think of when we write the words “vegetarian sushi”?  Fish, right?  Well, sushi can be raw fish, so it is inherently vegetarian, now isn’t it?  But sushi isn’t always raw fish.  It is a combination of a lot of different ingredients that come together into a great piece of food that is popular all over the world. 

How do you make vegetarian sushi?  I have no idea!  But I had a feeling you’d like to know, so I did a little research.  I have found a couple of recipes for vegetarian sushi that you might want to try out yourself, so try out the following:

Vegetarian Sushi

6 cups water
3 cups short-grain brown or white rice

Any combination of the following vegetables: 

cucumber
zucchini
green bell pepper
red bell pepper
carrots
daikon radish
asparagus 
scallions
mushrooms
sesame seeds
avocado fresh spinach 

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 package pre-toasted nori sheets
Prepared wasabi paste

Preparation: Bring the water to a boil. Add the rice, lower the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Seed and julienne the cucumber and julienne the vegetables. Steam these vegetables, except avocado which should be raw, over boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. 

Mix together the vinegar and brown sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. When the rice is cooked, stir in the vinegar and brown sugar mixture, and cool to room temperature. 

When the vegetables and rice are cool enough to handle, lay out the first nori sheet. Place a handful of rice in the center of the sheet, moisten your hands with water, and gently but firmly press the rice to the edges of the sheet so that there is a thin layer of rice in a line on the sheet. Spread a bit of wasabi paste on top of the rice, approximately 1 1/2" from one edge of the nori sheet. Lay vegetable strips parallel to the wasabi in a width of approximately 1" along the wasabi line. 

Carefully wrap the closest edge over the vegetables, then roll the nori delicately but tightly. Seal by moistening the edge of the nori. Once the nori sheet is completely rolled, slice the roll into 6 pieces and arrange on a platter. Repeat with the remaining nori sheets. 

Makes 6 rolls.

From experience, we need to say that when making this vegetarian sushi dish, be careful of the wasabi.  My husband told me it was a mild horseradish type sauce, but when I had just a small taste of it, I drank every bottle of water in the house and then went to the garden hose.  It can be hot, people, so be careful!
