If you’re looking for a vegetarian/fully cooked sushi roll that looks like a tuna roll, go to the store, and buy a beet! Unless you are like my dad and loathe beets, you will be happy you did! To complement and amplify the sweet earthiness of the beets, we made our rice with turmeric (which also gave our dish a fun colour) and added a roasted asparagus spear into each roll.
As for the sauce, you’ve got options galore! My wife used plain soy sauce, and that was pretty good. I made a tarragon, mustard, and black pepper yogurt sauce for myself…but I also made the mistake of inadvertently buying Greek yogurt, so I thinned mine out with a little supplemental soy sauce (after the picture was taken, mind you), and that worked nicely as well. If you really want to get wild, make a roux with goat milk and honey for your dipping sauce (I plan to do this next time).
Time: 90 Minutes (a lot less if you cook and cool your rice and beets ahead of time)
Ingredients:
- A Medium Beet
- Asparagus (1 spear per roll)
- Sushi Rice (or other Short Grain Rice). We used about 2/3 cup for 5 rolls.
- Water (3x the volume of your rice)
- Turmeric
- Nori seaweed wraps.
- Dipping sauce of your choice
- My wife used Soy Sauce, and she said it worked well
- I made a tarragon, mustard, and black pepper infused yogurt…and then, I mixed in some soy sauce. That also worded well.
- Have fun with it, and try something new and out there…if it fails, you can always just pour out some soy sauce and go from there!
- You will also need sushi rolling mats.
Method:
- Start by prepping your ingredients that will take the most time:
- Peel your beets, and slice them into rectangular prisms (think back to your geometry days, or check the first picture below). Then, boil them until soft, and set aside in a bowl in the fridge to cool.
- Combine your sushi rice and water (proportions above) with turmeric, and simmer until your water is gone. Then, scoop your rice into a bowl, cover with foil (so the top layer doesn’t dry out, and place in the fridge to cool.
- Roast your Asparagus with a little olive oil at 350 degrees F for about 10-25 minutes depending on thickness.
- While everything cools, make your desired sauce.
- When you’re ready to assemble, bring everything out of the fridge, and lay your sushi rolling mats on your counter.
- Lay a slice of Nori seaweed atop each mat, and then press a thin layer of your rice atop. The layer should go from one end to the other and be about 2-3 inches wide.
- Layer on your beet slices and asparagus.
- Wet your fingers, and run them along the far end of your Nori so that it sticks and holds together well as you roll.
- Roll your sushi tightly, and place each finished roll on a cutting board. Then, repeat the process until you’ve made all your rolls.
- Cut each roll into 6 pieces.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
