Make your own DIY Sushi

The last couple of days I have had a powerful hankerin' for sushi, but I have also been rather financially limited. So tonight I made a rude gesture towards the surly teenage Asian waitresses and blind peasant woodsmen hacks at a certain Commercial Drive budget sushi establishment, I sharpened my knife, summoned my inner samurai, and I made my own delicious sushi.

I decided to make 3 kinds of vegetarian sushi because I also couldn't afford any deluxe fish. My trio of Japanese yumminess was comprised of miso roasted eggplant rolls, roasted yam with lettuce rolls, and good 'ol kappa maki (that's cucumber roll for all you Philistines out there). Hey ho, let's go!
Ingredients
4 cups of short grain sushi rice
enough water to cover using the Mount Fuji method

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1 large yam peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
1 Japanese eggplant sliced thinly lengthwise
1 cucumber, julienned
small lettuce leaves

2 tablespoons miso paste
2 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic crushed
Directions
Prepare rice using sushi method described here. Mix vinegar sugar and salt in small saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle over rice, mix in, and fan to cool to room temperature.

Mix miso, mayo, oil, and garlic. Brush on yam and eggplant slices. Roast on cookie sheets in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Let cool and julienne.

Roll sushi using cucumber, yam, lettuce, and eggplant as fillings using method described here.

Itadakimasu!

Veggiesaurus Tikka Masala

I'm currently visiting friends in Seattle. My buddy Phil asked me if I would help him cook a meal for a bunch of his vegetarian friends. Now I obviously love chewing flesh as you can tell from all my previous turducken posts, but nonetheless, I enjoy the unique challenge and bloody vegetable slaughter of a great vegetarian meal. (If you are interested in some further reading regarding how your veggies scream when you chop them up into curry check out this and this).

For your sadistic enjoyment of torturing vegetables, I present you with Wade’s Veggiesaurus Tikka Masala...

Yummy Curry
1 cup plain yogurt (avoid low fat or non-fat yogurt for a richer flavor)
2 cup heavy cream
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 sm cans tomato paste
1 cup ground almonds (or approx 6 tablespoons almond butter)
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons turmeric
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
2-inches cinnamon stick
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

Veggies
1 large onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 fresh green chili, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

Put all sauce ingredients in crockpot (crockpot is easiest because you don’t need to stir and you can forget about it) or in big soup pot on stove on low (If you do it on the stove, remember to stir so that the bottom doesn’t burn). Throw in all veggies and simmer on low heat all day. If you let it cook 6 or more hours on low the veggies will cook through in the sauce and be supper yummy. If you don’t have the time, precook the veggies till done and combine with curry. Garnish with more fresh cilantro and serve with Raita and Naan, and a selection of chutneys.

My little friend Emma helping me make curry.

Raita
1 cup plain yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled and grated
½ lemon, juiced
thumb fresh ginger, chopped
fist of fresh cilantro, chopped
fist of fresh mint, chopped

Bang everything together, mix

Naan
2 ½ teaspoons dry yeast
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 ½ cups white flour
1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine ingredients together according to what works best for your bread machine. Select dough setting and start. When dough is finished, punch down and divide into 12 equal sized balls. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel, let rise until just before cooking. Light and preheat BBQ on high. Flour counter surface and rolling pin and roll out each ball to a thin oval. Heavily oil BBQ grate and grill each naan on high until puffed and blistered (approx 1 min a side). Yum