Sushi Salad
This is one of those recipes that you say “Why didn’t I think of that?” If you love sushi you will love this easy to make alternative. It is sushi without all the extra work of rolling. I believe the pickled ginger is what makes this salad so delicious. I always buy The Ginger People Pickled Ginger. I find it is the best tasting ginger. This recipe is from a cookbook by Karin Laronde Antolick who was a wonderful cook. She had a booth at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market and put her recipes into a cookbook called Eating Well with Karin. I have so many bookmarks in this cookbook and I have not been disappointed with any dish I have made.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar, unsweetened
- 2 tbls sugar
- 1/2 teas salt
- 3/4 to 1 1/4 teas wasabi paste
- 1 tbls sesame oil
- 2 tbls water
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 1 english cucumber, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tbls pickled ginger, chopped and a bit of the pickle juice
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tbls toasted sesame seeds
- 2 sheets of nori, cut into 1″ squares
Directions
- Put rice and water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer according to package directions.
- While rice is simmering put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- When rice is finished cooking put it into a serving bowl and drizzle with the rice vinegar mixture, tossing to incorporate.
- In another small bowl combine the wasabi, the 2tbls water and the sesame oil. Add this dressing to the rice mixture and the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
- Peel and slice the avacado on top of the salad and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
I have a peeler that will make matchsticks which I find extremely useful for this recipe. If you don’t have the patience or time to make the matchsticks with a knife then just use a regular vegetable peeler. I have added shrimp to this salad that I have sauteed in some olive oil with garlic. I have also varied the vegetables including peppers, broccoli and daikon. Think Sushi fillings and you will create your own version of this salad.
If you use sweetened rice vinegar either reduce the sugar or eliminate it altogether.
I use a bit of the pickle juice off the ginger in every salad. The idea is not to compromise the remaining ginger in the bottle and not waste the pickle juice.
I have found most people either love or hate wasabi so use as little or as much as you dare. Wasabi is Japanese horseradish and imparts heat to a dish. It is unlike the heat from hot chili peppers as it does not linger in your mouth.
