SUSHI ROLLS WITH CRAB & BROWN RICE

This recipe has become a favorite in my house!

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 3 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of naturally brewed soy sauce, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 5 sheets roasted nori
• 1 carrot peeled and julienne cut
• 1 mini cucumber julienne cut
• 2 red radishes julienne cut
• 8 sticks of imitation crab (firm)
• 1 avocado cut into thin slices
• Sliced gari for serving
• Wasabi for serving

For the rice:

Put rice, water, butter and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce into a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 50 minutes. Do not remove lid. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.  Stir together remaining tablespoon of soy sauce and the seasoned rice vinegar, fold mixture into rice.  A rice cooker may be used with the same water-to-rice ratio.

Rolling the sushi:

Place 1 sheet nori, shiny side down, on a sushi mat.  Using damp fingers, press about 3/4 cup of rice onto nori in 1 layer, leaving a 1 3/4-inch border on side farthest from you.  Arrange 1-1/2 sticks of imitation crab along with the vegetables starting 1 inch from side nearest you.  Beginning with edge nearest you, lift mat up with your thumbs, holding filling in place with the outer edge of your other hand, and fold mat over filling so that upper and lower edges of rice meet, then squeeze gently but firmly along length of roll, tugging edge of mat farthest from you to tighten.  Open mat and roll log forward to seal with the nori. (Moisture from rice will seal roll.) Transfer sushi roll, seam side down, to a cutting board. Roll additional rolls, then cut each roll into 6 pieces with a wet sharp knife (rice vinegar works great to wet the knife).

Garnish plate with soy sauce, wasabi and gari.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe from Culinary Collage.