I have been on a roll this weekend (pun intended). I have the whole house to myself this week but somehow I haven't gotten out from just one particular room in my whole entire house and that of course is the kitchen, being currently unemployed and having all this free time and space to cook has been heaven for me. Heads up you're going to be seeing a few food posts in the next coming days! I just love the impact that cooking has on me, it's always been a big stress reliever and I feel right in my element when I'm in the kitchen. I've gone trough a phase where I wasn't being creative in the kitchen and somehow I felt like something was missing. There was only one thing that I wanted to make to 'celebrate' being back in the kitchen and that was homemade sushi. The last time I had attempted at making them was when I was still in Wimbledon which was a good four years ago now and I cannot believe I have never recreated them ever since as they were so darn good! This version of sushi is equally as tasty and is somehwhat healthier as you can not only alternate it to the way you want which gives it an A+ but you can subtract the extra unnecessary sugars. I decided to stick to a simple avocado sushi, simple but sufficiently delicious. I am surely not going to be waiting another couple years to make this again - I'm thinking tomorrow's lunch sorted? I wish I was kidding but I'm on a sushi craze right now - and we all know the best way to cure a craving is to give the body what the heart (stomach?!) / stomach (heart?!) wants.
This makes for a perfect meal prep - If you stick to not adding raw fish and keeping these sushi rolls plant based they can last up in the fridge for a good 2-3 days, which makes them efficient to snack on the go and eat something healthy and satiating and keeps the sugar levels down knowing they're homemade and with half the calories that one would usually consume from outside.
Speaking of rice, I have decided to do a variation of half a cup quinoa for an added boost of protein and half a cup of sushi rice which gave the rice that gooey texture which is usually needed to make the rolls. I thought the combination of the two went really well together and you could not even tell the difference hands down! I will perhaps the next time try with either brown rice to give it that healthier touch but let's be honest we want it to still taste like a classic sushi so tweaking it slightly to make it a healthier version is acceptable but changing round the whole ingredients I guess won't even be allowed to be called sushi.
Nori Sheets are super good for the health, and they contain Iodine which is considered one of the best food options to increase your Iodine levels. For someone like me, who is slightly low in Iodine, it's super important to consume seaweed in general (such as kelp, nori or wakame) as keeping your levels in check helps crucially balance your thyroid function which is needed for healthy hormones. So even more of an excuse to make this more on a regular basis.. best medecine ever.
These are the ingredients that you will need.
INGREDIENTS:
-x4 Nori Sheets
- x1/2 cup of White sushi rice
-x1/2 cup of White quinoa
-x1tbsp of White rice vinegar
-x1 Whole ripe avocado
-x1 Snowpeas (optional) *
-x1/4 Firm tofu (optional) *
* I had leftovers in my fridge and I just added them to make them a bit more filling - but i somehow preferred the ones simply with avocado. If you like that crunch go ahead and add the snowpeas or some cucumber sticks.
YOU WILL NEED:
-x1 bamboo mat
(If you don't have one, you can easily substitute this for cling film which equally works great and forming perfect sushi rolls + less to clean up as you can simply throw the film away right after)
I swear I'm not the first person to say this and I won't be the last.. cutting into an Avocado and it appearing to be perfectly ripe is like hitting the jackpot seriously. It's not often you get this lucky where it's visually appealing. Good thing it happened on a day I was photographing this recipe.. I bet it somehow knew and wanted to look good...
HOW TO:
For one cup of rice I added two cups of water which is the standard way measurement for cooking grains. I however found that it absorbed rather quickly and had to add an extra 1/2 cup of water. So monitor your rice and wing it to see how much water it needs, start out with small amounts and add gradually you don't want to fill the pan all the way to the top as you want the water to absorb!
Once you've cooked your rice, which should naturally absorb all the water on it's own, you can add your tbsp of rice white vinegar, this is what makes the sushi and will give it the proper taste to the rice.
Once you've cooked your rice, which should naturally absorb all the water on it's own, you can add your tbsp of rice white vinegar, this is what makes the sushi and will give it the proper taste to the rice.
You don't want the rice to be too piping hot on the seaweed as you can risk it tearing. Place the rice in a bowl and let it rest for a good 5/7mins.
You want to make sure to have let it rest for a bit but not too long as the key is to still have the rice warm as it's easier to spread evenly and more comfortably.
Make sure to use a flat spatula like mine in the above or something to help you flatten the rice mixture properly. You could perhaps use the back of a spoon but might not be as convenient.
Make sure to flatten it like so and to just leave space on the top and bottom edges similar to when putting marinara sauce on a pizza base. This is where the two ends will meet once you roll and seal the whole thing.
Starting by adding your toppings. You don't want to over pack your rolls as it won't be as easy to roll and you'll find the fillings to pop out once cutting them.
TIP: with avocado squash your slices slightly to make them fairly mashed so that you won't have them popping out of the sushi rolls once you come to cut them later. trust me you'll come to thank me later.
TIP: with avocado squash your slices slightly to make them fairly mashed so that you won't have them popping out of the sushi rolls once you come to cut them later. trust me you'll come to thank me later.
Make sure to roll the sheet firmly, you pick up the bamboo sheet and start rolling and every time make sure you are pressing tight and pushing the roll back, keep repeating this process until you get to the top. Make sure to keep pressing and backwards as this helps it stay to a normal sized shape roll. I swear it's not a complex method. once you make the two ends meet ad a bit of water on the outer edge to get the two sides to stick more effectively.
TIP: Make sure that you' are using a very sharp knife and make sure that it cuts thoroughly through the roll. You can even dip the knife in a glass of water to refrain things sticking to the knife. your one requirement is to make sure the knife is a SHARP one, as this is what will make or BREAK your roll.
You wouldn't realise that recreating your own sushi is super easy and it's only until you're in the process do you realise there is no reason to be intimidated, which was my case. I am by no means saying I have mastered the art of sushi - but the taste was damn good and taste conquers all. always.
I really recommend a side dish with soy sauce to dip these beauties in, and have fun with decorating or just eat them as is. I decided to sprinkle some sesame seeds on top just to give an added crunch, and to decorate some with the little leftover avocado I had left on the side. Can I just say that these did not at all last long in my household... and as I mentioned earlier.. I'm home alone this week, I have no one to blame..OOOPS! Don't worry you'll get me once you make these bad boys yourself!
