Miso-glazed sweet potato sushi (vegan)

With 2020 being the year where everything seems to be on hold, it’s important to focus on yourself. Practice self care where you can and remember that even little things can give you a boost.

Cooking and baking has helped me through these trying times. Preparing ingredients with mindfulness and love provides me with a sense of fulfilment, especially when I can enjoy the results! So I thought I’d share this tasty recipe and hope you get some joy from it.

In case you’re a sushi novice like me, let me explain the basic components of this recipe.

Sushi rolls: you can make sushi in lots of different forms, I find rolls are the most effective and come out nicely. A bamboo mat is not essential for rolling it, a tea towel will suffice.

Nori sheets: this is dried seaweed. It is known to be a superfood, packed with nutrients such as B12 and Vitamin C. It rolls easily and holds ingredients in well.

Filling: sushi is usually associated with raw fish, however, it can be just as good (if not better) as a vegan dish. My favourite fillings include avocado, sweet potato, tofu and cucumber.

I guarantee you’ll be impressed with these miso flavoured sushi rolls, best dipped in soy sauce.

Recipe notes:

• Vegan
• Gluten free
• Makes 3 sushi rolls (3 servings)

What you need:

• Clingfilm – you put this between the sushi ingredients and whatever you are rolling with.
• Bamboo rolling mat or a tea towel
• Sharp knife – this is for slicing the large roll into mini rolls, or you can just enjoy it as a burrito
• Bowl of boiling water
• Clean surface

Ingredients:

• 2 cups / 250g sushi rice or ‘sticky’ rice – get this from any supermarket or international food shop
• 4 cups water
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

• 3 nori sheets – again, this is fairly easy to find

Filling:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 avocado
• 1-2 spring onions
• 1 carrot (peeled)
• optional: toasted sesame seeds

For the miso glaze:

• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

Method:

Preparation:

1. Heat up the oven to 190º C / 375º F
2. Rinse rice in a sieve. Then add to a medium saucepan with water, rice vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is completely absorbed – about 15 minutes.
3. Whilst rice is cooking, add ingredients for the miso glaze in a bowl and mix well. Chop sweet potato into long, thin rectangles and then dip into the bowl to completely cover in the glaze.
4. Lay sweet potato onto a baking tray and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until sticky and crispy. After 15 minutes, turn the potatoes and pour over any left over glaze.
5. When rice is done, place in a separate bowl to cool.
6. Prepare the fillings by chopping avocado into long strips. Cut spring onion and carrot long-ways into thin slices.
7. Toast sesame seeds by simply placing in a dry pan on medium heat for 1 minute, tossing half way through.

Assembling the sushi:

1. On a clean surface, lay the bamboo mat flat and cover with clingfilm. Now place your nori sheet on the covered mat.
2. Add a few generous spoons of rice onto the sheet and use your hands to spread the rice into an even layer. Dunk hands into a bowl of water to make it easier to spread rice (it can get pretty sticky).
3. Next, place a few pieces of sweet potato, avocado, carrot and spring onion in a line across the middle of the nori square. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
4. Start rolling from the bottom (the side closest to you), using the mat and a firm pressure to compress the filling together into a tight roll.
5. Take the mat away, keeping the cling film wrapped around the roll. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Unwrap and place roll on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife and a bowl of water, cut the roll sideways into smaller rolls, dipping the knife into water each time. This helps the cut the sushi into neat rolls, as the rice can get sticky.
7. Voila! Enjoy your sushi with some soy sauce, wasabi paste or sweet chilli is nice too.