Sushi Night

It was Sushi Night in our home the other night. I decided it might be a good idea to document the steps involved in making sushi for those of you that might not have tried it. DocDufresne shot the footage.

What you'll need:
Sushi Mat
Large Sharp Knife
Clean Kitchen Cloth (to wipe your knife and hands)

Ingredients:
Rice (you don't really need sushi rice)
Nori
Rice Vinegar
Sugar
Any combination of fillings (veggies, tempeh, pickles...you name it)
Dipping sauce (soy sauce, spicy mayo...)


Step 1: Prepare the rice
Cook a couple of cups of rice, as usual. When most of the water has been absorbed, remove from heat. Add a few splashes of rice vinegar and about 1/2 tbsp sugar. Combine. Refrigerate, covered for at least an hour.

Step 2: Assemble the fillings
Slice veggies and other fillings and have them ready-to-go on your cutting board. In our sushi, we used combinations of carrot, cucumber, avocado, bell pepper, baked tempeh, and pickles (try it, you'll like it!).

Step 3: Toast the nori
If you have a gas stove top, gently toast each nori sheet above the flame.

Step 4: Spread the rice
Place a nori sheet on your sushi mat. Don't use a ton of rice, or other fillings for that matter. Our tendency seems to be to over-fill. Use just enough rice so that you can spread it thinly over 3/4 of the nori sheet.

Step 5: Spread the fillings
Create a line across the rice with your veggies and other fillings. Remember not to go overboard, or it will be difficult to roll. The line should be about 2" from the bottom of the nori sheet.

Step 6: Roll it up
Carefully work the sushi mat and filled nori into a roll. Try to keep it as tight as possible. This takes some practice.

Step 7: Cut the roll
First cut off the edges of the roll. Vegan dogs are happy to assist with the disposal of the ends. If the nori seems too dry or brittle, apply a little bit of water to the roll with your hands. You'll probably need to wipe your knife off with a clean kitchen rag every few cuts.

Step 8 (optional): Top with toasted sesame seeds
Line the bottom of a small bowl with toasted sesame seeds. Dip the sushi segments in.

Step 9: Enjoy!
Enjoy with your favorite soy sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, or spicy mayo. If you'd like to make spicy mayo, it's very simple! Just mix Vegenaise with hot pepper oil. Oolong is quite a nice accompaniment.

It may be mean to make them pose for these photos, but that's what you've gotta do to get sushi at our place!