Watermelon Radish Sushi

There are a lot of different preparations for root vegetables, and you can get as unconventional as putting them in your sushi!  In the Winter CSA Share Boxes, and for a large portion of the regular CSA Share Season root vegetables are abundant!  We love them cooked, pickled, and even raw.  Visit the recipe index to see some of our more creative preparations.  This sushi is pretty unconventional, but it will brighten up your table!  I used seasoned brown rice, nori rolls, and root vegetables sliced into long thin slivers.  I had an avocado laying around that I added, and smoked salmon or cooked shrimp would be great additions.  Make this a meal with our miso noodle soup recipe!

To get started cook the rice according to package directions.  You can find sushi rice in most well-stocked grocery stores or natural food stores.  If using brown rice look for short grain brown rice.  Cut your vegetables into long thin slices, similar to a julienne.  If you’ve yet to break down a kohlrabi-check out this post on getting started.

Spread seasoned rice over 2/3 of a sheet of nori.  Place the ingredients in one line down the middle.  Using a bamboo sushi mat lined with saran wrap, place the rice side of the nori closest to you, and roll
the sushi away from you.  Place the roll seam side down and continue rolling until rice is gone.  I used about 1/3 cup rice per roll, so 1 cup rice yielded 3 rolls.  For a larger batch of sushi, I’d recommend using 3-4 cups of rice depending on how many people you’re feeding.  Sushi is best eaten soon after rolling.  I like to use rice that is still a little warm, I find it’s a little stickier, and the rolls seal better.  This is NOT traditional, but it works best for me.  Maybe you have some tricks up you sleeve, let us know in the comments!

Watermelon Radish Sushi

I smaller watermelon radish, cut into long thin slivers
1 carrot, peeled and cut into long thin slivers
1/3 kohlrabi, peeled and cut into long thin slivers
3 cups or more cooked short grain brown rice or sushi rice
for each cup of uncooked rice: 1 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar
9-12 sheets toasted nori
soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger for garnish

Combine cooked rice with rice vinegar, salt, and sugar.

To roll sushi.  Spread seasoned rice over 2/3 of a sheet of nori.  Place the ingredients in one line down the middle.  Using a bamboo sushi mat lined with saran wrap, place the rice side of the nori closest to you, and roll the sushi away from you.  Place the roll seam side down and continue rolling until rice is gone.

Using your sharpest knife slice sushi into one inch wide segments.  Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.