This week the #hivetopchef theme is cravings.
My cravings can change from moment to moment but certain ones linger until I satisfy them.
I normally don't eat sushi more than twice or three times a year. It's strange but after I have it I don't want it anymore for a while.
The time had come around again where I would dream of having sushi. I gathered the items from the store across the street and made sushi to get the craving out of the way.
My partner Marc loves sushi too but this day he was threatening to order a pizza. We have a pizza chain next door that makes very mediocre plant based pizza that ends up taking a chunk out of our wallets.
There was only one solution. I would have to make sushi as well as a pizza. The more the merrier.
The only thing is that I realized that I no longer had a sushi rolling mat. I wouldn't be able to buy one either because all of the non essentials have been forbidden for purchase. We can buy the food but kitchen tools are off limits.
I figured out a way to do it. In an apocalypse one must learn to survive without a sushi rolling mat. Just use a piece of parchment and a cloth.
To make the sushi rice just follow the instructions on the package. If there are no instructions then take two cups of rice and rinse over and over until the cloudiness is gone. Drain and add three cups of water. Bring to a boil than reduce to a lower temperature. When the water has absorbed, stop cooking and start to cool. Add around half a cup of rice wine vinegar which is especially seasoned for sushi or use regular rice wine vinegar and add to it, a quarter of a cup of sweetener and salt. Put the rice in the fridge to cool completely.
I used nori sheets and soy sheets.
Spread the rice evenly on the sheets and wet the ends so they seal.
For one of my fillings I used tofu to imitate a crab mix which is a popular sushi filler. After crumbling firm tofu and cooking it in a little oil and adding in a shallow pan, I added a couple of tablespoons of tamari, dash of onion powder, dash of garlic powder, and salt to taste. After cooking I transferred to a bowl and added two tablespoons of vegan mayo, chopped green onions and a squeeze lemon juice and a dash of chili powder .
I used this to fill the nori sheets along with carrots cucumber and sweet peppers.
For the second filling I chose trumpet mushrooms.
This was a simple saute of minced shallot, mushrooms, minced garlic, a pinch of cumin, pepper salt and tamari and a half teaspoon of maple syrup just for a tiny bit of sweetness. I also added a little white balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
I used colored soy sheets and spread on the mushroom mixture with the same vegetables as the nori sushi. Cucumber, carrot and sweet pepper.
To roll the sushi I used the parchment to bring it up as well a a cloth. Tuck it tight.
Roll back the paper and the cloth. Tuck it then roll it again until it is complete.
After I rolled all of the sushi, I put them in the fridge and whipped up a pizza to satisfy Marc's craving. I know one does not simply "whip" up a pizza, but when you are trying to get your mind off of the current life situation, you can move fast. It's either that or stay idle and meditate. I suck at stilling my mind.
I had made a dough first thing which sat to rise and was punched down a couple of times before it was shaped into a pizza. It was a simple dough made from 4 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 tablespoon sugar,1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tsps instant yeast.
Todays toppings would be some left over basil pesto, caramelized onions. mushrooms and tomatoes.
The dough had been placed stretch out on cornmeal which gives it a crunch that I like.
I like to garnish pizza with balsamic glaze and arugula.
Almost always sushi comes with wasabi which can be super fun and painful, and pickled ginger. I couldn't find wasabi in my local grocer and the only one jar of pickled ginger was way too expensive for my once in a while craving.
I substituted those items for a quick sauce made from vegan mayo and sriracha. I also added sweetener, sushi rice vinegar and sesame oil to the tamari sauce for dipping.
I realized that chopsticks would have been useful, but hands are fun as well.
This seems like a lot of food and it was. There were leftovers. I like the abundance of a lot of food sometimes. We don't know what the future holds and if next year we will be able to have a roof over our heads. This weekend is our turn for curfew. This may really affect our now twenty two hour a week job. So as long as I can I will eat drink and try my best to be merry.
Thanks for stopping by and all the best to everyone.