I first had goma-ae, a traditional Japanese side dish of vegetables and sesame dressing, in a restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico that has since closed. It remains my only positive memory of the restaurant that shall remain unnamed, as it was the most bizarre and unwelcoming restaurant…oh, well. The one positive takeaway is this delicious flavor combination that has remained in my taste-memory for years. Today I am adding my own twist to this, and serving it alongside a vegetable roll made with brown sushi rice.
For some reason I had never attempted sushi rice on my own and it was surprisingly simple. I’m sure that for the authentic, white-rice variety there are traditions and methods that defy the expertise of the home cook. But I found the method I used produced delicious results. There is also a really fun part of the recipe when you get to fan the rice as you stir in the sushi vinegar. How much of an effect this has on the finished product, I don’t know, but I guarantee you will feel really chef-y as you fan your rice to remove excess moisture. And feeling chef-y is at least half the battle to being, in fact, chef-y.
As I understand it, sushi rice is basically seasoned with three things: rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. These three ingredients combined make up what is called sushi vinegar. Every chef uses different proportions of these ingredients. Some add in “secret” or additional ingredients, like konbu (kombu) or mirin, to add distinct or varied flavors. Previously, I had thought sushi rice was much more of a science than an art. Wrong. There is a lot of room for creativity and taste preference here. I prefer a less-sugary rice and have posted my recipe for the sushi vinegar below. This rice will work well in rolls, but is not going to be sticky enough to make sushi. I’ve also added some of my novice tips for rolling sushi. This is seriously NOT difficult. My biggest improvement in rolling sushi came from watching the chef anytime I ate at a sushi bar. Really watch the chef preparing food. Watch what their hands do. Watch how they tuck the roll. Where they lay the ingredients. How much rice and how much filling ingredient… The more I watched, REALLY watched, the better I got. My biggest tip, don’t get discouraged if your first time rolling is a fail. Worst comes to worse, roll it like a burrito and enjoy your dinner!
I’m sitting here racking my brain with what else to write for this post. And I’ve got nothing. I’ve spent the weekend working in the kitchen, thinking up what I hope will be some great fall recipes. My brain is heading into the work week (It is Sunday as I sit here writing this). I’ve got multiple, extremely frustrating, photo shoots under my belt (thank you stormy weather). And as I sit here and dig through my brain, I have come to the conclusion that I am creatively sapped. And I’ve learned that at times like these it is best to take a step back and let things be. My impulse is to dig in and get it done. Come up with something great. Push harder and create something sensational. But sometimes all of that is in complete opposition to well-being and peace. One of my biggest challenges has been having the wisdom to know when to just let things be. Knowing the difference between giving up as opposed to accepting that’s all I’ve got right now is certainly a challenge. But it’s a worthy endeavor, because falling on either side of that divide (giving up or pushing too hard) brings dissatisfaction, distress, and unhappiness. So today, enjoy this delicious asian dish. Perfect for lunch or a simple dinner. Clean eating.
Tips & Tricks:
- Don’t use too much rice: Whenever I see photos of home-rolled sushi (or enjoyed them at dinner parties) there is just too much rice. When placing the rice on your nori sheet you should have one layer of rice, that’s it. Otherwise the texture and flavor of the rice overpowers the other flavors. You want all of your ingredients to sing in harmony.
- Slice your nori sheet in half for sushi rolls: If you have nori that is perforated ignore the perforations (unless it divides the nori in half). Slice the Nori with a knife to create two equal sized sheets. Each 1/2 sheet will create one roll.
- Don’t overstuff the roll: Less is more. If you add too much to the roll, it won’t seal properly and it will be too large to enjoy as one bite.
- Don’t be afraid to use some pressure: Press down firmly as you roll sealing everything tightly together.
- Don’t give up: Perfecting the sushi roll definitely takes time. Eat your mistakes and don’t get discouraged. It takes sushi chefs years of training to master this art form.
- 2½ Tablespoon toasted ground sesame seeds
- ½ Tablespoon rice wine
- Drop of maple syrup (to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste
- 1½ - 2 Tablespoons water
- 5 Oz package spinach
- Whole Sesame seeds (for sprinkling on top)
- ¼ Cup rice vinegar (60 g)
- 2 Tablespoon raw turbinado sugar (25g)
- 1¼ Teaspoon sea salt (5 g)
- ⅔ Cup short grain brown rice (this is enough rice to make about 4 rolls)
- ½ Teaspoon soy sauce (wheat-free tamari for gluten sensitivities)
- 1 Cup water
- 2 Small cucumber
- 1 Avocado
- Sesame seeds
- 2 Nori sheets
- Rinse rice well. Place rice, water, and soy sauce in a pot and bring to boil. Once boiling turn heat down to simmer and cover. Cook for 40 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and no water remains (use a fork to peek at the pot bottom to check if all of the water has been absorbed). Let sit, covered, for ten minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and sea salt in a saucepan and heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Set aside to cool. While your rice is finishing, make the goma-ae.
- Steam spinach, drain well, and place in refrigerator to cool completely. Place a towel around the spinach to allow it to continue draining. If there is too much moisture the sesame dressing won't coat the spinach leaves.
- Toast 3-4 tablespoons of unhulled (more nutritious) sesame seeds. While they are still warm grind small batches with a mortar and pestle. If you try to grind too many at once you will reduce the effectiveness of the mortar and pestle. Reserve left over seeds to top the goma-ae and sushi rolls.
- Combine ground sesame seeds, rice wine, maple syrup, miso, and water until you have a consistent mixture that is slightly thick but pourable. Add water gradually to achieve this consistency.
- Mix sauce into spinach. Use your hands to thoroughly coat the spinach. Steamed spinach has a tendency to clump. Make sure you separate the leaves sufficiently so everything is dressed evenly. Sprinkle whole sesame seeds over the top. Place back in the fridge while you prepare your sushi rice and rolls.
- It is very helpful to have a kitchen scale. A useful guideline for the proportion of sushi vinegar to rice: 12% of the weight of the cooked rice = the amount of sushi vinegar to use. If you don't have a scale and you make the amount of rice that I specify above, you are going to need about ⅓ cup of sushi vinegar. Taste and adjust as necessary. While the rice is warm the taste of the vinegar will be stronger, so keep that in mind.
- To mix the sushi vinegar into the rice, stir and fan the rice. This will help remove excess moisture from the rice. Continue mixing until all of the sushi vinegar is incorporated (1-2 minutes).
- Cover a sushi mat completely (front and back) with plastic wrap.
- Slice a sheet of nori in half. Place ½ sheet toward the base of the mat. Cover the sheet with a single layer of room temperature rice. Gently flip the sheet over (rice touching plastic wrap and nori facing you).*
- On the lower third of the nori sheet place your sliced avocado and cucumber. About three pieces of each. If you like spice, you can add a line of wasabi before rolling.
- Roll gently, but firmly, pushing down as you roll forward. Slice your roll in half, then slice each section into thirds. Use a sharp knife and slice in one definitive slice. It helps if the cutting edge of the blade is slightly wet.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the rolls and serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and goma-ae.
*This preparation is for an "inside-out" roll where the rice is on the outside of the nori. If you want to make a roll with nori on the outside don't flip the nori sheet over. If this is your first time rolling sushi, I recommend making it with the rice inside.
I love this post so much…from the chef-y shot of you fanning the rice to your frustrations about photo shoots. I’m not exactly a photographer extraordinaire to begin with but lately I’ve had one disasterous shoot after another and no savoury recipe to share this week as a result unless I can get my shit together tomorrow. I also had an #epicfail today with a chocolate pear loaf today which should have been fool proof…baffling but c’est la vie.
Oh do I know that story! So frustrating some times! I hope I get to see your savory recipe 🙂 It is always the ones we think are fool-proof that turn out to be stubborn and challenging!
Hahaha I love your tips + tricks. I’ve tried making sushi at home SO many times but I’m that person who over-stuffs everything, so my sushi always ends up deconstructed, in a pile on my plate. Next time I’m at the grocery I’m going to grab a package of nori and give this a go.
Guilty! I used to try and stuff SO much into them and I couldn’t figure out why they were always falling a part. Sushi night was more like sushi bowls…hehe I hope this method works for you! <3
Yum! These look delicious. Your sushi-rolling tips are so helpful, too. Love it! The wisdom to know when to let things be is hard to find sometimes…okay all the time! I think trying to find the middle ground should count for something, though, right? 😉
xx Sydney
P.S. I’m totally trying your sushi rice. I never thought to flavor it, but that would explain the unique sushi rice flavor! So cool!
It should definitely count! Haha! Seasoning the rice makes SUCH a difference. You get that really authentic flavor. xoxo
kathryn i really love your approach at stepping back and letting things be – sometimes it’s the best thing to do even though our hearts and heads are strong and we want to be hands on about it all. and i couldn’t agree more that sometimes that burning passion can be counter-intuitive to well-being and peace of mind. it’s in the slowest moments that brilliance often strikes.
your rolls and photography are so beautiful here. also my interest for the initial restaurant in new mexico is HIGHLY piqued (all of my eonnections to new mexico are freaking strange ones). i adore your flavors and fearlessness(+tips) for rolling the sushi, as well as the goma-ae. Much love to you! ♥
Amen, Danielle and well said.
New Mexico is freaking strange! I went to college there and I know countless people who have strange New Mexico stories! It is not your average place…not at all! It is majestic, beautiful, and s t r a n g e. xoxo
I’ve yet to master those inside-out rolls- it also turns into such a sticky mess for me! Looks like you got it though! Your spinach salad would be such a great side to so many Asian-inspired meals. And I hear you on feeling the need to take a step back. I find that creativity comes most easily when I just let go and stop trying so hard!
Hi Emily,
I hear you, the inside-out rolls are definitely more challenging. I keep my hands a bit wet to prevent rice sticking to them too much. Stepping back and letting go is sometimes the most challenging, but usually the one thing that produces the result we want. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts here!
I always order seaweed salad when I get sushi. I’m excited to try your version with spinach! It looks fab.
Thanks, Nicole. I think you will really like it! Let me know how it goes.
Wow! this looks really special, love the spinach salad too!
Thanks, Cheri! All of the flavors go so well together 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try to make my own sushi for a while now, but I’ve always been super intimidated by the whole process. I LOVE your step by step instructions here—- you make it look, actually, pretty reasonable to make. And I absolutely adore goma-ae! So glad you included that in this recipe 🙂
The idea is intimidating but the process is not. Once you get a sushi mat you are golden. You can even do it without, but you won’t get the same tight, perfect roll like you would at a sushi bar. If you need any help just let me know. I promise it is easy! You just have to be willing to fail a few times…and the good part is you can eat all of your failures 🙂 Goma-ae is the best!
Kathryn, so much about this post I love. I laughed out loud, smiled and thought about making sushi. ‘Racking my brain with what else to write…’ LOL – I can absolutely relate. And then your wise words about just letting it rest. It is soooo true. Creatives push themselves hard and then when nothing comes, we have to rest. For if we don’t then creativity can become stagnated. It’s hard to accept this at times… we gotta GET IT DONE!! And this sushi.. I love veg sushi yet rarely enjoy it because there isn’t really anywhere locally to get good sushi. This means, I need to learn how to make it! Thank you for this and your expertise in how to make sushi! I hope to make my own soon!
Thanks, Traci! What a wonderful comment. You made me smile 🙂 It is definitely a challenge to let go when what you want is to make it happen! The ultimate paradox! This is so simple to make. And if you don’t want to take the time to make the sushi rice, you can just use plain brown rice. It is a win either way! Just remember not to get discouraged if your first roll doesn’t come out perfectly. xoxo
I have never made a sushi roll – so I greatly appreciate your tips. I would definitely have to try making a roll with the nori on the outside first – but I’m very impressed with your inside out roll. This recipe (the roll and spinach) is exactly what I would order if I went to a japanese restaurant – so I’m pinning so I can make it at home!
You’re going to have such fun making it! Once you get good at the regular sushi roll the inside-out one is no big deal. Let me know how it goes and if you need any more tips let me know. 🙂
I’ve been meaning to make my own sushi for YEARS! I think it’s finally time I take the plunge. The tips are much appreciated! xo
You’re gonna love it and have so much fun doing it. I hope my tips help. xo
This is the most beautiful sushi, Kathryn! And I have a confession — I’ve never had sushi in my life, but for some reason the universe is nudging me to try it lately. Maybe one day I’ll give into that nudge 🙂 Maybe your post is that final nudge… I love this avocado version.
And I’m so with you on not forcing or pushing. I go there sometimes too and it rarely works out to my advantage. My best creations come when I’m excited or passionate about an idea, not when I’m on a schedule and under pressure to perform with seasonal goods… I mean if it works out, yay, I’m super happy of course, but otherwise I think relaxing and letting go is always good when in a creative pause. Your work is always beautiful though!
I think you are going to love it, Audrey. The enormous range in flavor combinations and textures are just so great. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about just letting things be. I think anyone engaged in a creative endeavor has to deal with this challenge at one point or another. Your words definitely resonate with me. XO