Veggie Sushi with Daikon "Rice"

Ingredients

1 large daikon radish, peeled and chopped into eighths
2 tsp honey
¼ cup rice vinegar
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp salt
6 sheets toasted nori
10 leaves fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded carrot
½ a red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips
1 ripe avocado (do not slice ahead of time)
Soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi for serving, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Pulse the daikon radish in a food processor just until the pieces are the size of grains of rice. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and stir in honey, rice vinegar, lime juice, and salt, mixing well. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain out excess liquid. Spread mixture in an even layer on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Fluff “rice” with a spatula, and set aside to cool.

2. Place a sheet of nori, shiny-side down on a bamboo sushi mat so that the short sides are horizontal. Spread about ½ cup of rice on the bottom third of the nori, leaving a 1-inch border at the bottom. Tear basil leaves and arrange several pieces upon the rice. Top with a thin layer of shredded carrot. Place a few slivers of red bell pepper in a horizontal line in the center of the arrangement. Slice thin strips of avocado and arrange alongside or on top of the bell pepper.

3. Beginning at the end closest to you, roll the mat forward so that the mat glides over the top of the nori and the nori and fillings begin to form a log-shape, pausing before you get to the end. Using your fingers, lightly wet the far end of the nori with water so that it sticks in place as you finish rolling. Hold the roll in this position for a few seconds to help it seal before removing the log from the mat. Slice each log into 6 rolls, and repeat with remaining nori and fillings. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi if desired, or stir a little freshly minced ginger into soy sauce to create a quick dipping sauce.

11/13/2011 1:38 pm | by MorganCrumm