Brown Rice Sushi Recipe

Brown rice is great for Librans, as are sea plants such as nori (seaweed) – put those two things together and what do you have – brown rice sushi of course! Sushi is such a popular food and I have to say that it is one of my favs and one that my kids would eat every day if they had the chance! Full disclosure I have not actually made this recipe myself but no doubt the 16yo will be bugging me to do it now!

However, I really like the stuff that the Minimalist Baker does online so I’m confident in sharing this recipe without having tried it myself! NB you can use any veggies you like to fill it if the suggested ones don’t appeal

Ingredients

Makes 4 Serves
400 ml water
190 g short grain brown rice, rinsed
45 ml rice wine vinegar
25 g organic cane sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
1 roasted or fresh red capsicum(sliced)
122 g thinly sliced carrots
104 g thinly sliced cucumber
18 g sprouts (Alfalfa is best)

Optional serving accompaniments
Tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
Pickled ginger
Wasabi
Sesame seeds

Method

– In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil then add rice, swirl to coat, and lower heat to low and cover. Simmer until water is completely absorbed and rice is tender – about 18-25 minutes. Drain off any excess water if there is any.
– In the meantime, add vinegar, sugar and salt to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until sugar and salt are dissolved. Place in a jar or dish and cool in the fridge until rice is ready.
– While the rice finishes cooking, prep your veggies by chopping them into thin pieces. If they’re too bulky they won’t allow the sushi to roll well.
– Once the rice is done, kill the heat and add the cooled vinegar mixture and stir with a rubber spatula or fork as to not overmix. It will appear wet but will dry up as you lightly stir to release heat. It should be sticky and completely dry once it’s ready.
– Now it’s time to roll: Grab your sushi mat and top with a sheet of nori. [If you don’t have a sushi mat you can use a folded tea towel topped with plastic wrap.] Using your hands dipped in water (to avoid sticking), pat a very thin layer of rice all over the nori, making sure it’s not too thick or your roll will be all rice and no filling (see photo).
– Then, arrange a generous serving of your veggies or preferred filling in a line at the bottom 3/4 of the rice closest to you.
– Start to roll the nori and rice over with your fingers, and once the veggies are covered, roll the mat over to mold and compress the roll. Continue until it’s all the way rolled up. I find slicing with a very sharp serrated knife yields the best results. Repeat until all rice and fillings are used up – about 4 total rolls.
– Serve immediately with pickled ginger, tamari or soy sauce, and wasabi. Best when fresh, though leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days.