I have a thing for Asian grocery markets. Seriously I could spend hours perusing the aisles, checking out all the exotic ingredients. Alas I have two little children so trips to the Asian market are rare and when they do happen I am usually in and out as fast I can be so I end up only picking up my essentials, which I guess is good for my wallet.
Anyways on our last trip I just walked down one aisle and there it was a wall of nori. So many brands and types. Of course I wanted to buy one of each to try but in the end I reigned myself in and picked up one package of toasted nori to make sushi rolls at home.
While I hadn’t planned to make this particularly sushi in the first place it ended up just working out and it was fantastic (even Edith gobbled it up). It came out of a fluke when I decided to place dried green lentils and sweet short grain brown rice in my rice cooker and well it took longer than anticipated and didn’t make it to our dinner plates. I ended up packing up the lentil-rice with plans to use it for a fried rice dish the following day. When it came time to make the fried rice I took the lentil-rice out and it was super sticky and that’s when it hit me that this rice would be PERFECT for sushi.
I spread a thin layer of the lentil-rice mixture on my toasted nori and topped with a little sriracha sauce I made, then I sauteed up some shiitake mushrooms and added them along with a crisp romaine leaf. I rolled up my sushi rolls, served with a little extra sauce and tamari and inhaled these babies. Seriously so delicious. This fluke ended up being a fantastic recipe.
- 1 cup sweet short grain brown rice
- 1/2 cup dried green lentils
- 3 cups water
- 8oz shiitake mushrooms, stem removed and thinly sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons reduced fat vegenaise (or your favorite)
- 1-3 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- romaine hearts
- toasted nori sheets
- For the Rice: Do this in advanced. Place ingredients in your rice cooker and cook until done. No rice cooker? No problem just put everything in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until water evaporates. Remove and all to cool completely before using.
- For the Mushrooms: In a medium saute pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tamari and balsamic and saute until all liquid has evaporated; make sure to stir frequently.
- For the Sauce: Whisk everything together.
- For the Roll: Take one sheet of nori and spread with about 1/3-1/2 cup of the lentil-rice in a thin layer leaving about 1-inch at the end. Spread a line of the sriracha mayo on the center of the rice, next to that add a line of shiitake mushrooms and lastly add a romaine heart leaf. Roll your nori up as tight as possible using a little water to seal the sheet.
- Slice with a very sharp knife and serve with additional sauce and side of tamari.
