Sushi Bento

I am so happy I finally broke down and bought a sushi mat. For years I was intimidated by the idea of rolling my own sushi. But, I love sushi and my girls love sushi and when I started making bento lunches for them, sushi seemed like an important thing to be able to include. At least once a week I like to make vegetable sushi for the girls lunches and it is so easy! I've made carrot and cucumber sushi and their favorite so far: celery sushi! Not only is it delicious and perfect for packing into their little "Lunchbot" bento boxes. It's also very nutritious and a great way for my girls to get their sea vegetable vitamins and minerals that are hard to find elsewhere.

Making sushi is so much simpler than most people realize. It's just as easy as making a sandwich. I make about a cup of sushi rice in my steamer then add a tablespoon of rice vinegar, Braggs (or soy sauce) and unbleached sugar. Use a bamboo sushi mat - which is usually about $2 at any Asian market, and a sheet of nori seaweed, which you can find in your supermarket in the Asian food section. The nori usually even has a diagram on the back of the package to show you how to roll it. You spread the rice on the nori, leaving about a half an inch on one end. Spread your filling from one end to the other in a line down the middle of your rice. Then wet the nori where there is no rice and roll it from the other end, using the bamboo mat to roll it tightly and evenly. Hold for a moment so the dampened sushi can seal to itself then slice up your roll and enjoy!

If you are interested in giving sushi-rolling a try, but would like a demonstration. I will be teaching a class at Sprout Soup this month:

Build-a-Bento Workshop
At Sprout Soup, 4310 N. High St.
Columbus, Ohio 43214, (614) 267-7768
Wednesday, January 19, 11a-12p, $10 per adult
Learn to create vegetarian sushi that you can turn into cute little mouse faces. You can bring your Lunchbot or other container if you’d like. This is a hands on class, so come ready to roll and taste some yummy carrot, cucumber and celery sushi.

I hope to see you there!