For Valentine’s Day we decided to enjoy a low key evening at home.  No commercialized cards or obligatory chocolates. No overpriced flowers or jam-packed restaurants.  Just us (and the dog). It was nice, really.

Seeing as how Valentine’s Day is a celebration of relationships, we decided to celebrate a very special relationship in our lives.  One that neither of us could live without (literally).  A relationship that many people take for granted, or even abuse. This relationship is so important to our well-being that each day it has the ability to build us up and make us stronger or, depending on our life decisions, it can also tear us down and make us weak.

The relationship I’m referencing is our deep and personal connection with FOOD! (What? Not the relationship you expected on Valentine’s Day?)

In honor of our love of health promoting foods, today I’m going to share with you the sushi recipe we made for Valentine’s Day dinner.  If you enjoy eating sushi and want to try making it at home, I encourage you to give this super simple recipe a chance.  It literally took 30 minutes and (in my opinion) tastes just as good, if not better, than what we get at our local sushi restaurant.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice (sushi rice if you can get it)
• 2 cups water
• 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
• 1 cup chopped veggies – (carrot, cucumber, red pepper, avocado, purple cabbage, any other veggie that sounds good)
• Cooked Shrimp (optional)
• Condiments such as soy sauce (or Tamari), pickled ginger, wasabi (optional)
• Saké (definitely not an option)  

Instructions

1. Rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer until your water runs clear. Then add to a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once it boils reduce heat to low, cover and cook until water is completely absorbed – about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Have a sip of saké.
3. In the meantime, add vinegar, sugar and salt to a small bowl and stir until salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
4. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and add the vinegar mixture.  Stir with a rubber spatula or fork as to not over mix. It will appear wet but will dry up as you lightly stir to release heat. It should be sticky and completely dry once it’s ready.
5. Sip some more saké while you prep your veggies making sure to chop them into thin slices. You’ll know if the veggies are too bulky because they won’t allow the sushi to roll well.
6. Now it’s time to assemble the rolls: grab a thick towel or sushi mat and place it on a flat surface. Top with plastic wrap, then with a sheet of nori. Using your hands dipped in water (or if you’re like me and you don’t like getting your hands dirty a spatula will work just fine), pat a very thin layer of rice all over the nori, making sure it’s not too thick or your roll will be all rice and no filling.
7. Take another sip of saké and marvel at how far you’ve come in such a short amount of time.
8. Next, arrange a serving of your veggies or preferred filling (shrimp, etc) in a line at the bottom 3/4 of the rice closest to you.
9. Start to roll the nori and rice over with your fingers, and once the veggies are covered, roll over the plastic wrap and towel or mat, using it to mold and compress the roll. Continue until it’s all the way rolled up.
10. Congratulations on making it through the most difficult part of the sushi making process. Have another sip of saké!
11. Slice sushi with a sharp knife and set aside (be sure to use back and forth motions as to not flatten the roll).
12. Serve immediately with pickled ginger, soy sauce, wasabi and of course Saké!

If you’re interested in making inside out sushi rolls (where the rice is on the outside of the roll) follow this great tutorial.

Adapted from minimalistbaker.com