Veggie Sushi Hand Roll Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine rice and water; let stand for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved., Transfer rice to a large shallow bowl; drizzle with vinegar mixture. With a wooden paddle or spoon, stir rice with a slicing motion to cool slightly. Cover with a damp cloth to keep moist. (Rice mixture may be made up to 6 hours ahead and stored at room temperature, covered with a damp towel. Do not refrigerate.), Place asparagus in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender., Place sushi mat on a work surface so mat rolls away from you; line with plastic wrap. Place 2/3 cup rice on plastic; with moistened fingers, press rice into an 8-in. square. Top with one nori sheet., Arrange a small amount of vegetables and avocado about 1-1/2 in. from bottom edge of nori sheet. Lifting bottom edge of the bamboo mat, roll up the rice mixture jelly-roll style, being sure to lift plastic from rice. Roll bamboo mat over sushi roll, pressing firmly, to make a more compact roll. When the roll is complete, tighten the roll to make more compact. Remove mat; cover roll and set aside. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make seven rolls., Cut each into six pieces. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.

Steps:

• Place the rice in a coarse-mesh sieve and rinse with cold running water until water runs clear. Shake out excess water.
• In a large saucepan, combine rice and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a bowl and sprinkle with rice vinegar; toss and let cool.
• Meanwhile, peel the carrot and cut into matchsticks. Cut the unpeeled cucumber lengthwise in half; discard seeds. Then cut cucumber into matchsticks. Slice peppers into matchsticks. Cut chives to match the length of the vegetables. All vegetables should be about the same length and thickness. Cut each nori sheet in half crosswise.
• To prepare sushi, hold the nori in one hand, shiny side down. Dip your free hand in a small bowl of water to prevent sticking. Using your wet hand, shape 1/4 cup rice into a ball and place on the left side of nori sheet. Spread the rice to a 1/4-inch thickness, leaving about a 1-inch border of nori on the sides. With your finger, make a crosswise "well" in the center of rice where vegetables will go.
• Place 1-2 sticks of each vegetable (carrot, cucumber, peppers, and chives) in the well and tightly press vegetables together. (Let kids pick combos of their favorites, but making colorful sushi is the goal!)
• To roll sushi, start with bottom left edge of the nori and bring it up on a diagonal to the center of the rice and vegetable. Start rolling the sushi to the right to create a cone shape, using your free hand to tuck it all together tightly. With your fingertip, place a drop of water on the outside bottom corner of the nori to hold the sushi together.
• Repeat steps 4-6 with remaining ingredients.
• Place sushi rolls on a platter and serve with low-sodium soy sauce for dipping, if you like.

Steps:

• Place the rice in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a few drops of water and microwave on high until the rice is warm and softened, about 30 seconds. Set the rice aside to cool.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar with 2 tablespoons water. Place a bamboo sushi mat on a work surface with the bamboo strips facing you horizontally. Place the nori sheet horizontally, shiny side down, on the mat, aligned with the edge nearest you. Dip your hands into the vinegar-water mixture and spread the cooled rice in an even layer over the nori sheet, leaving the top one-fourth of the nori uncovered. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the rice, then arrange the cucumber and carrot sticks and the avocado slices in a horizontal strip across the bottom portion of the rice.
• Starting at the edge closest to you, lift the mat, nori, and rice over the filling to seal it inside, then roll up the sushi into a tight cylinder. Use your finger to lightly moisten the outer edge of the nori with the vinegar-water mixture to seal the roll. Dipping a sharp knife in water before each cut, cut the roll in half crosswise, and then cut each half crosswise into 4 equal pieces.
• Pack the sushi snugly into an airtight container and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Refrigerate until ready to go. Include little containers of soy sauce and/or pickled ginger, if you like. And don't forget the chopsticks!

Steps:

• For the rice:
• Mix together vinegar, sugar, and salt.
• Rinse the rice in colander and drain. Put the rice and water in medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to very low and simmer, tightly covered. (For a good seal wrap the pan's lid tightly with a small kitchen towel and cover the saucepan. Make sure the towel's edges are folded up well away from the heat.) Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat (don't uncover) and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer it to a large bowl. Add the vinegar mixture and toss with the rice, using a wooden spoon. Spread it out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Fan the rice continuously with a fan or magazine until cooled. Cover the rice with a damp towel.
• To assemble rolls:
• Place the sushi mat with the slats running crosswise directly in front of you on a clean work space. Lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down and lined up with the closest edge of the mat. Lightly moisten fingers with water, and evenly press about 1/4 of the rice onto the nori, with 1 1/2-inches uncovered at the far edge. Line up the fillings about 1-inch from the closest near edge, evenly across the rice. Leave 1-inch of rice uncovered at the far edge.
• Beginning with the near edge of the mat, tightly roll up the nori, rice, and fillings into a cylinder. Firmly tug on the rounded mat over the roll as you pull on the far edge of the mat to tighten the roll. Open the mat, dab unsealed edge of nori with a bit of water and roll the sushi forward to seal. Transfer the sushi to a plate and cover with damp paper towels. Repeat with remaining rice and fillings.
• Cut each sushi roll, crosswise, into 8 pieces with a sharp wet knife.
• Serve with bowl of soy sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• Cook the sushi rice according to the package instructions, then flavor with the seasoned rice vinegar, stirring to distribute. Let sit until ready to use.
• Preheat a grill pan on medium heat.
• Add the asparagus, peppers and shiitake mushrooms to a bowl, then toss with the olive oil. Season with 2 teaspoons soy sauce and a pinch of pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning as needed, until lightly charred, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a cutting board. Halve the asparagus, then set aside. Slice the peppers and mushrooms into thin strips.
• Present the grilled vegetables on a platter, along with the cabbage, carrot, cucumber and avocado, and allow everyone to build their own hand rolls.
• To make the hand rolls: Lay a halved nori sheet, shiny-side down, on a clean surface. Add 1/4 cup of the sushi rice to the left edge of the nori and flatten slightly. Top with the desired vegetables. Bring the bottom left corner up and over the fillings to the top edge of the rectangle, creating a cone. Now roll the cone down the remaining strip of nori. Use a couple grains of rice to secure the nori to itself to help keep it rolled. Drizzle the top with the sriracha mayonnaise and sprinkle over the sesame seeds. Serve alongside the ginger and soy sauce for dipping.

Steps:

• Place a half sheet of nori horizontally in front of you on your mat. Place rice on left third of nori, leaving border of nori all around. Place filling ingredients vertically across middle of rice. Fold near corner of nori over to begin folding into cone shape. Continue to roll until cone is formed.
• Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce as condiments.
• Rinse rice in water until the water runs clear and then drain in a colander for 1 hour. Place the drained rice in a rice cooker or in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and add 4 cups water. Over medium heat, cover and bring the water to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, or until water has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, remove lid, and place a towel over pot. Replace lid and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the rice cooks, combine vinegar, sugar and remaining 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Heat over low temperatures, stirring, until sugar and salt dissolve. Let cool.
• Empty rice into a hangiri (or other nonmetallic) tub and spread it evenly over the bottom with a shamoji (or large wooden spoon). Run the spatula through the rice in slicing motions to separate the grains. While doing this, slowly add vinegar mixture. Add only as much as is necessary; the rice should not be mushy. If you have help, fan the rice with an uchiwa (fan) during the cooling and mixing procedures.
• Do not refrigerate the rice. Keep it in the tub covered with a clean cloth until ready to use. The rice will last one day.

Steps:

• Prepare the sushi rice according to package instructions (I use a rice cooker - fool proof).
• Prepare your veggies while the rice is cooking.
• Once the rice is done put it in a bowl and season to taste with rice vinegar and sugar - the mixture should be pleasantly sweet and sour. Spread up the edges of the bowl to cool for a couple of minutes.
• Lay down a nori sheet on a rolling mat. Using a spoon dipped in water spread the rice (min. 1/2 in / 1.5 cm thick) on the nori leaving a strip of about 2 in / 5cm at the far side of the sheet facing away from you.
• Use a teaspoon to spread some plum sauce down the middle of the rice. Top with 1-2 slices of cucumber, carrots, avocado and green onion each depending on size of the veggies you cut (they need to spread all along the middle of the rice from end to end).
• Using your mat roll up the nori pressing down with your hands as you roll to keep the roll firm.
• Set the rolls on a plate with the bare strip of nori facing down. The moisture from the rice will seal the rolls. Let sit to firm up.
• Using a sharp knife cut the ends of the rolls and eat immediately ; )
• Cut the rest of the rolls into neat bite sized pieces and serve with the wasabi and pickled ginger and soy sauce for dipping - you may want to let your guests decide on how much wasabi to use, especially if they are French : ).