Sushi a la mushroom – Quick And Easy
The perfect addition to everyone’s lunch box
Sushi is one of my go-to lunch items. While there are many delicious variations out there, this version features two of my favourite vegetables – onions and mushrooms.
Sushi is just the best, don’t you think? So simple, yet so delicious! As a vegetarian, my options are a little restricted. In an attempt to incorporate my most favourite vegetables, I created this delicious recipe. While the base method remains the same, the filling can easily be swapped for whatever takes your fancy. Your kids might be fussy eaters like mine, in which case a plain rice roll is ideal. Other favourites are avocado, tuna, chicken or sweet potato.
Frequently asked questions
Are sushi rolls healthy?
As with anything, choosing the right ingredients is key and it usually comes down to the filling. Using cucumber or another light vegetable will make your rolls far more healthy than filling them with fried chicken and mayonnaise.
Can sushi be frozen?
While in theory you can freeze sushi containing freezer-friendly ingredients, I would not recommend going down that path. For one, you would need to freeze each roll separately. But more importantly, neither taste nor consistency would be the same after thawing your rolls.
What sushi can you eat when pregnant?
Growing a baby is such a blessing and the last thing you’d want to do is ingest something to harm it. Generally speaking, raw meats and fish, as well as undercooked foods prone to salmonella or other types of food poisoning should be avoided. While it is generally safe to eat a sushi roll filled with only vegetables, it is best to double-check ingredients with the vendor. Thankfully, with this simple recipe you should never need to buy sushi again.
Will sushi keep overnight in the fridge?
Generally speaking, yes. Delicate ingredients with short shelf life may spoil over night and are best to be prepared as close to consumption as possible. Avocado, boiled sweet potato, fried chicken and other foods which comfortably last in the fridge can safely be prepared the night before.
Are sushi rolls fattening?
It depends on the ingredients. Filling your rolls with fatty meat, heavy sauces and high sugar ingredients could certainly harm the waistline. Choosing vegetables or lean meats instead is a perfect healthy lunch option.
Tips and Tricks
- Keep leftover rice from dinner to use for sushi the next morning.
- Make your rolls in the morning for sushi to go. This is great as both snack or a filling lunch
- I find sushi is easiest to roll if the rice is still warm a tiny bit wet
- Sushi mats are great, but really not necessary if you roll tight enough
- Use a sharp knife to cut your rolls
- Don’t use a serrated knife, it tears the nori and can easily ruin the look of your rolls
- For fussy eaters, a simple rice roll may just hit the spot. Stir your soy sauce of flavour of choice into the rice before using it as filling.
Tools you may need
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Small pot or saucepan
- Frying pan
- Optional: Sushi mat
Optional ingredients
- A salad mix easily adds an extra new nutrients to your rolls
- Canned tuna lets you make sushi even when the fridge is empty
- Fried chicken tends to be a kids favourite
- Seasonal vegetables make your sushi extra tasty
- Leftover cooked vegetables mixed with a little soy sauce can be used up also
How to make sushi from scratch
Sushi is super quick and easy. It is one of our favourite lunchbox staples and can be whipped up even on a busy morning.
First, boil your rice. If you have leftover rice in the fridge, re-heat it with a little water on the stove.
While the rice is re-heating, slice your onion and mushrooms.
Pre-heat a pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and your onions.
When the onions start to turn golden, add the mushrooms.
Fry the onion-mushroom mix until the mushrooms start to develop a slight crust.
Add the soy sauce and let it “burn off”, about 1 minute.
Add the cream. Stir mushrooms for another minute before turning off the heat.
Your rice should meanwhile have finished boiling. Take it off the heat and place a nori sheet on a chopping board or large plate. Whatever you use, the nori sheet should fit on it entirely.
Spoon about 3 heaped tablespoons of warm rice onto your nori sheet. Spread the rice evenly over up to 2/3 of the nori sheet. It should look like a solid white block and reach the edges.
Add two tablespoons of your mushroom mixture on top of the rice. Either build one heaped straight line of mushrooms from one end to the other or spread the mushrooms evenly across all of the the rice.
Take the edge covered entirely with rice and mushrooms and tightly roll it up in the direction of the empty nori sheet. This should create a fairly solid cylinder. Place it on a separate plate edge down and allow it to cool. Repeat the process to create more rolls if desired.
Once cooled, evenly slice your sushi into 3cm rolls using a sharpe knife.
Serve with fresh salad or enjoy as is.
Sushi a la mushroom
Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 Minutes; Cook Time: 15 Minutes; Total Time: 20 Minutes
Super quick and full of flavour, these rolls will have you wishing you made double
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 8 large mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 nori sheets
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon cooking cream
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add rice and water to a pot and cook on medium-high heat
- While the rice cooks, thinly slice onions and mushrooms
- In a frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat and add the onions
- When the onions start to turn golden, add your mushrooms. Fry until the mushrooms start to form a light crust.
- Add soy sauce and let it “burn off”, approximately 1 minute.
- Once soy sauce has evaporated, add cream.
- Stir for another minute before turning off the heat.
- Your rice should meanwhile be ready.
- Place one nori sheet on a chopping board or large plate. The sheet should fit comfortably.
- Add 3 heaped tablespoons or half of your warm rice on nori sheet. Spread it evenly across 2/3 of the nori sheet and cover this area end to end.
- Place two heaped tablespoons or half of your mushrooms in the middle of your rice. Either form a heaped, straight line from one side to the other or spread the mushroom mixture evenly all over your rice.
- Tightly roll up your sushi roll from the full rice/mushroom edge towards the plain nori sheet. This should get you a tight cylinder shaped roll.
- Place the roll edge down onto a separate plate to cool down.
- Repeat the process to create a second roll.
- Once cooled down and using a sharp knife, slice the rolls into even 3cm pieces.
- Serve with a side salad or enjoy as are.
Notes
- To create baby rolls, use a third nori sheet and divide rice and mushroom mixture evenly across those.
- For an extra kick, add some fresh chilli or chilli flakes to your mushroom mixture.
- For a vegan version, replace the cream with an equivalent amount of coconut cream.
