These Brown Rice Sushi rolls with cucumber, asparagus, and crab sticks are a healthier alternative to regular white rice sushi. They are just as tasty.
I am so pleased that my first batch of Brown Rice Sushi was a success. I have seen brown rice sushi but have never made them until now. We eat brown regularly and I often wondered if I can successfully make sushi with it. There was only one way to find out.
Using the right kind of rice for making sushi is important. Sushi is usually made with medium grain rice (also known as sushi rice). This variety of rice has oval grains that stick together when cooked. Long grain rice with its fluffy and separate texture is not suitable. As such I decided to use medium grain brown rice for this batch of sushi and I am glad I did. I found the rice in the bulk section of my local health food store.
While it is not as sticky as white medium grain Japonica rice, it held together fairly well. I was able to make the rolls. Cutting them into pieces was a little more challenging but using a very sharp knife helped.
Since this was my first try making sushi using brown rice, I used long strips of ingredients to make the process a little easier. I cut the asparagus and cucumber to the width of the nori (seaweed). As for the crab sticks, I lined up 1½ strips to match the length of the other 2 ingredients. It worked out really well.
Brown Rice Sushi
Ingredients
Sushi Rice
- 2 cups medium grain brown rice (400g)
- 3 cups water (720ml)
- 1 piece kombu (wiped with damp paper towel) (about 2-in x 2-in square)
Vinegar Mixture
- 6 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
Sushi Rice
- Wash and drain rice 4 to 5 times in a medium sized pot. Cover rice with 3 cups (720ml) water. Drop in kombu and allow contents to soak for 30 minutes.
- Place pot on stove over medium heat. Just as water is about to boil, remove kombu. Place the lid back on and allow water to come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
- Turn off stove and remove pot without opening the lid. Allow rice to sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
- Transfer rice to a moistened sushi tub or large shallow bowl. Pour vinegar mixture evenly over the rice. Gently mix in the vinegar mixture with a rice paddle in a cutting motion. Do not mash. Turn the rice with the paddle and fan as you go along. This will help the rice absorb the vinegar and give it a glossy look.
Making the rolls and serving
- Place a sushi mat on your work surface. Then place a sheet of nori with shiny side down onto mat, lining with the edge of the mat closest to you.
- Moistened your hands and spread an even layer of vinegared brown rice with the help of a rice paddle onto nori, leaving about 1½ inches of nori at the far end. The rice should be approximately a quarter inch high. Create a ridge at the far end to prevent filling from spilling forward when rolled.
- Line up a strip of cucumber, 1 asparagus, and 1½ strips of surimi fish stick in the center of the rice.
- Holding down the filling with your fingers, lift the mat with your thumbs, rolling forward until the edge of the mat touches the top of the ridge.
- Firmly squeeze the mat and continue rolling forward while retracting the mat backwards so that the seam of the nori is at the bottom.
- Finally, place the top portion of the mat firmly over the roll, curl fingers and squeeze mat to compact the roll. Do not push too hard as to force the filling out at the ends. Repeat until all rice is used up.
- Moistened knife and slice each sushi roll into 6 thick slices.
- Serve with soy sauce, a small dollop of wasabi, and pickled ginger.
Nutrition
These Brown Rice Sushi have a nutty flavor and chewy texture. We enjoyed them very much. I will definitely make them again.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Ramona says
Now that is some gorgeous sushi and I love the idea of brown rice. So much healthier.