Alright, listen. I love me some sushi. And I typically love re-creating all of my favorite foods at home. But mad respect for the experts, yo. There is an art to perfectly rolled sushi that I simply haven't mastered. (Probably never will, but I'll keep trying.)
Meanwhile, though, I do still want to enjoy some of those flavor combinations at home. So--sushi bowls. Not quite the same, but still fun to mix and match in the same way you might build a roll (if you're so inclined.)
This also allows me to use quinoa (my food crush) in place of rice without worrying about the roll falling apart since it's almost impossible to get quinoa to be as sticky and sturdy as rice within a roll. So yeah. Not all bad to just eat it out of a bowl I guess. Try it, and let me know what you think.
Oh, and don't skip the sauces on this! They are super simple to make, and they change the flavors from "good" to "magical". I promise.
Sriracha Mayo (Sauce #1):
Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tablespoon Sriracha (you can adjust to your heat tolerance)
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions:
Mix well and set aside. (Store leftovers in refrigerator.)
Eel Sauce (Sauce #2):
Ingredients:
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Mirin (sweet Japanese wine) If you can't find this, you can use dry sherry or marsala or really any cooking wine, but you will probably want to sweeten a bit.
1/2 cup coconut sugar
Instructions:
Combine all 3 ingredients in small sauce pan over medium high heat. Simmer at a gentle boil, stirring often, until reduced by about half. Set aside to cool and thicken. (Store leftovers in refrigerator.)
Sushi Bowls:
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 leek, finely diced (Or really any onion. I just had a leek, and I really like them, so I threw it in there.)
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1/2 cup cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1 avocado, diced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6-8 oz. fresh tuna
coconut oil (for coating pan 3 times)
Instructions:
1. Prepare edamame according to package directions and set aside.
2. Coat a non-stick pan with coconut oil and saute leeks over medium heat just until fragrant and slightly wilted. Add cooked quinoa and garlic paste and heat just until well-combined and warmed through. Set aside. (It's totally fine to serve this at room temperature. No need to keep it piping hot.)
3. Coat pan again with coconut oil and toss shrimp over medium heat just until firm, pink and opaque. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
4. Coat pan one more time with coconut oil and increase heat to medium-high. Sear tuna ever so briefly on each side--no more than about 30 seconds. Just enough to get a nice brown layer of flavor on the outside but stay pretty rare on the inside. Remove from pan and slice.
5. Build bowls by beginning with quinoa/leek mixture. Then add veggies and avocado. Layer protein over top and drizzle with sauces.
6. Go back for seconds, 'cause you're gonna want 'em. :-D
And just because I think it's so pretty, one more picture...
