Recipe: Not-Raw Sushi

I know lots of us are squeamish about eating raw meat, but just because you don't want to try raw fish, doesn't mean you can't enjoy sushi.  There are a lot of vegetables and cooked things you can put in a sushi roll that are nutritious, delicious, and not raw fish meat!

The Korean version of sushi is called Kimbap (or Gimbap, or Kimbob, or other permutations like that) and it uses all cooked things or veggies.  It's a fun way to mix up your lunch and to try out your favorite flavor combos.

Ingredients:

Nori ('seaweed') Sheets

Sushi Rice (I use Botan brand rice even though it's not marketed as "Sushi Rice")

Sesame Oil

Optional Ingredients: (slice all into strips)

Fried egg (beat the egg first)

Sweet potato (sliced into thin "fries" and fried in 1T olive oil until tender)

"Krab"

Avocado

Carrot

Cucumber

Pickled Radish

Cooked Beef

OR add in your own experiment!

Supplies:

Bamboo Sushi Mat

Instructions:

1. Cook rice according to package (to feed 2 people you need about 3-4 sushi rolls, which means about 1.5 to 2 cups of COOKED rice)
2. Drizzle about 1T of sesame oil on the rice when finished cooking and mix in, set aside to cool.
3. Lay the nori sheet rough side up, shiny side down on your bamboo mat.
4. Spread about ½ cup of rice onto the seaweed, leaving the top inch empty.  Try to smooth it on gently rather than mash it on.
5. Lay your fillings in the middle of the rice, if you are new to rolling sushi try only a few ingredients first.  The more ingredients, the bigger the roll, and the harder it is to make (and EAT!)
6. Slide your thumbs under the mat and roll up from the bottom to cover your fillings, press down and squeeze down and back toward yourself making a tight roll.
7. Continue to roll, making sure to tightly squeeze after every motion.
8. Stop when you reach the empty space you left. wet your fingers and glide them across the flap and then complete the roll.  The water will seal the seam to hold the roll together.
9. Set aside and continue with other seaweed sheets.
10. Cut each roll into about 3/4 inch slices.
11. Arrange on a plate and eat! You can also dip these rolls in a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar as a condiment.