My friend who recently moved to LA raved to me about a new sushi spot she tried. Instead of rice, the sushi rolls were made with cauliflower rice. My first thought was how is that possible? I needed to see for myself so I decided to make some sushi. To my surprise, it actually worked! It's definitely much more work than regular sushi but for those who are looking for an alternative to rice, this is perfect.
Cauliflower Sushi
makes 4 rolls
- medium sized cauliflower
- 1 small cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 2 carrots, cut into thin strips
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- wasabi
- pickled ginger
To make the cauliflower rice, cut the cauliflower into florets. You want about 650g of florets. Place the cauliflower into a food processor and pulse into smaller pieces, resembling rice. Place into a large sauté pan and cook until just tender. Let the cauliflower cool and using some paper towels or a dish towel, squeeze the excess water from the cauliflower.
The cauliflower is ready when it's dry enough that when squeezed, it will hold its shape. Traditional sushi rice is seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar and some salt. I did not want to add any extra moisture to the cauliflower so I only season it with some salt.
Now we are ready to assemble the sushi. You can use any type of filling for the sushi rolls. I chose to use vegetables.
Place a piece of seaweed on the sushi mat and cover half of the seaweed with cauliflower rice. You want the cauliflower rice about 1/8" thick. Neatly layer the vegetables in the center of the cauliflower.
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Lift the end of the nori with the cauliflower and carefully roll it over the filling, pressing down as you roll. Lightly dampen the edge of the nori with water to seal the roll.
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To cut the sushi, use a sharp knife and gently trim the edges off the roll. Cut the roll into 4-6 pieces. I sprinkled some crushed sesame seeds and hemp seeds on top of the rolls. Since the cauliflower rice is unseasoned except for some salt, I added some rice vinegar to the soy sauce for the vinegary element that is found in traditional sushi. Now you just need some sake!
