What do I make when I’m making miso soup? Sushi Rice Salad. I’ve made sushi rolls before – I have the bamboo mat to prove it. But, while they are delicious, healthy, and nutritious, they are also kind of time consuming and fussy. When I crave those flavors, I make this salad. A purist would gasp but someone wanting sushi would just dig in.
This recipe is written on yellow legal paper in my own hand and I have no idea where I got it. I have tweaked it significantly over the many times I have made it so I am going to officially call it my own. Whoever wrote the original says to use long-grain rice. Every single time I have made it, except for this last one, I have used sushi rice. You have to wash sushi rice endlessly so it doesn’t gum up and wouldn’t you know it, every time I made this dish, the rice gummed up. Last week I decided to make it with brown rice and I loved it. Try whatever you like.
Sushi Rice Salad
Serves 4-6
You should be able to find all the more unusual ingredients in the Asian food section of your grocery store.
1/2 cups long grain rice or brown rice
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. finely chopped pickled ginger
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 English cucumber, seeded and chopped
8 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes
2 sheets nori
1 avocado
Cook rice. (If making brown rice, simply boil in a large pot of water, as you would for pasta. Cook until tender and then drain.) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan 1/4 cup vinegar to boil with sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved and remove from heat.
Transfer rice to a large bowl and stir in vinegar mixture. Cool rice. (If there is excess liquid in the bottom of the bowl, drain rice again.) Stir in sesame seeds, remaining 3 tbsp. vinegar, oil, ginger, scallions, cucumber, tofu, and carrot.
Cut nori sheets into 1 inch wide strips. Peel and pit avocado. Quarter, then cut cross-wise into thin slices. Add avocado to salad with nori. Toss well.
Dressing
I like a lot of wasabi with my sushi. I like my nose to burn a little bit. If you like things mellower, add between 1 and 2 tsp. wasabi and then see how it tastes before you add it to the salad.
3 tsp. wasabi paste
1 tbsp. hot water
2 tbsp. cold water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. ginger juice
In a small bowl, stir all ingredients together. Drizzle dressing over salad and mix carefully.