Pink Sushi

Ingredients
For the rice
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1.5 – 2 tbsp beetroot powder
1/2 tsp salt
5-6 nori sheets

For the veggies
4-5 asparagus or 1 zucchini
A bunch of kale or spinach
1 large carrot cut
200 g mushrooms or tempeh

To serve
Tamari or soy sauce
Plant based mayo
Chili
Fried onions
Microgreens

Instructions
1. Place the rice into a mixing bowl and cover with cool water. Swirl the rice in the water with your hand, pour off and repeat until the water is clear. Rinse a few more times. After the rice is rinsed, let the rice drain in a colander or strainer for 1 hour.

2.After the rice has drained, put the rice in a heavy saucepan over, add the water and cook on medium-high heat; bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest, covered, for 15 additional minutes.

3.While rice is cooking, prepare the vinegar mixture. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine rice vinegar, coconut sugar, and salt. Heat mixture just until the sugar dissolves (don’t let it boil). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

4.When the rice is done cooking, gently spread out the rice over a cookie sheet. Evenly distribute the cooled vinegar mixture over the rice. Then add the beetroot powder. Gently turn rice over from time to time with rice paddle or wooden spatula so that rice cools evenly and becomes pink.

5.Pat out some rice. Lay a nori sheet on the mat, shiny-side down. Dip your hands in water, then pat handfuls of rice on top in a 1cm thick layer, leaving the furthest edge from you clear.

6.Lay down sauted carrots, zucchini, asparagus, spinach or kale, long strip cut tempeh or sauted mushrooms. To saute, cut each veggie in long thin strips ( don’t use inner parts of zucchini, only outer parts), fry each veggie seperately in the pan with a little bit soy sauce and oil until soften.

7.Lift the edge of the mat over the rice, applying a little pressure to keep everything in a tight roll.

8.Stick down the sides like a stamp. When you get to the edge without any rice, brush with a little water and continue to roll into a tight roll.

9.Brush the rolls with sesame oil and cut using a very sharp knife.

10.Top with vegan mayo, chili, fried onion and microgreens if desired.