Vegetarian sushi, made with avocado, melon, pepper, pickled radish.
This is much simpler to make than you might think, but a rolling mat is essential. The ingredients might seem expensive, but once you've bought them you'll have enough to make LOADS. Also, try to buy them from an Asian supermarket rather than Sainsburys or Tescos, as they're much cheaper. We love Wing Tai in Brixton.
Various vegetables, eg avocado, pepper, cucumber, watermelon. Slice finely, but don't slice the avo until right before you need it because it will turn brown quite quickly.
Pickled radish (recipe below)
To serve: tamari or soy sauce, pickled ginger, and more wasabi!
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First, put the rice and water in a pan. Bring to the boil (uncovered) and then turn down to a simmer and put the lid on. Cook for about 20 mins until the water has been soaked up by the rice. Tip onto a large plate to cool and sprinkle with the rice vinegar.
While the rice is cooking and cooling, make the pickled radish. Warm up 100ml white wine vinegar and add 1tbsp of sugar. Taste and continue to add sugar until a sweet/sour balance is reached. Take off the heat and add 2 tsp sesame oil. Allow to cool to room temperature, and pour over finely sliced radishes an hour before you need them. once they're ready they should blush pink all the way through. Drain them off before using.
Once the rice is cool, lay a sheet of the nori on a rolling mat and spread over the rice in a thin layer. Leave about a 1cm gap at the bottom and about 5cm at the top. This can get a bit messy as the rice will be very sticky. The easiest way is to use a spatula.
Once it's covered, add any vegetables you like, but make sure they're very finely sliced. Line them horizontally along the bottom, about 3cm from the edge of the nori. We LOVE avocado, cucumber, or red pepper on their own, with a smearing of mayonnaise and wasabi. Greg's delicious variation combines the pickled radish with watermelon. The trick is to not use too much, otherwise they'll be difficult to roll.
Now you're ready to roll! Carefully roll up from the bottom, smoothing out any bumps with the mat. When you get to the top, moisten the top of the nori so that it will stick. You should then have your sushi 'sausage' roll ready to cut.
You can leave the rolls in the fridge until you're ready to eat. Cut them with either an extremely sharp carving knife, or a serrated knife like a bread knife works well too. A blunt knife wont cut through the nori, and you'll end up squashing the roll and destroying all your hard work.
Serve with tamari or soy sauce, pickled ginger, and as much wasabi as you can handle!
