February Guest Blogger Recipe: Lazy Man's Sushi

This month's guest blogger recipe--the first of the new year--comes to us from Brian M., a local engineer and product designer.  Brian also helps run Baltimore Food Makers, a group of people who thrive on having a close connection with where their food comes from. Read on as he describes a simple and customizable dish for those of us craving sushi, but too lazy/busy to make it! 

Lazy Man’s Sushi  

How is it that sushi elevates rice to such a higher level of sophistication?  Even if you’re not using raw fish, a simple cucumber roll would at first glance seem much more decadent than just a bowl full of rice.  True the ceremony of grasping singular slices of a sushi roll, each optimally dipped only momentarily into a tiny dish of ink dark soy sauce before resting gently on your tongue via chop sticks does cause the eater to appreciate the subtle flavors and textures more.  But when I’m throwing together lunch at the office, I rarely have the time for such eating extravagances.  Rather, I’m looking for some good, quick wholesome fuel for the rest of the day - something that satisfies all categories of carbs, protein, acidic and salty.  

Enter Lazy Man’s Sushi.  It’s all of the ingredients in an average sushi roll, but just mixed together in a big bowl.  The short grain brown rice mitigates the blood sugar bomb that is often associated with large amounts of white rice and the heavy amount of toasted sesame seeds adds some much needed crunch to an otherwise soft dish.

Ingredients*:

• Short grain brown rice, 3/4 cup
• Sesame seeds, 1/3 cup
• Rice wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons
• Nori seaweed, 2 sheets
• Canned tuna or sardines (optional), ½ can
• Olive or sesame oil (optional), 2 tablespoons
• Tamari, gluten free (optional), to taste

*quantities listed makes 1 meal for 1 person – scale as needed

Directions:

1. Pour rice into a pan, add 1 ¼ cups of water, & bring to a boil.
2. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to a very low simmer.
3. Simmer the rice for 45 minutes. 
4. While the rice is cooking, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove top or in the oven.  Turn the seeds frequently so that they are evenly toasted--nicely browned but not burnt. 
5. When the rice has cooked for 45 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. 
6. Mix the vinegar into the rice until evenly distributed. 
7. Add toasted sesame seeds to the rice, and stir to distribute. 
8. If using fish, place the fish in a small bowl and mix with the oil until well coated.
9. Stir fish into the rice and sesame seeds.  (Note: if not using canned fish, a small amount of tamari/soy sauce can be mixed in as a substitute to supply salt to the dish)
10. Crumble the sheets of nori with your hands until in small pieces and add to the mixture. 
11. Enjoy!