Sweet Button Mushroom Maki and Negi-Kidney Bean Maki

Prep Time: 20 minutes (excluding time to cook rice/beans)

Makes 24 – 32 pieces; about 4 servings

Scroll down to skip the rambliness and go straight to the recipe

One thing I miss about living in the city is access to delicious and inexpensive Japanese food. “Miss” might be inadequate to describe my need for seasoned rice in nori, not to mention gyoza and tempura. There are a few sushi restaurants in town and so far the food is alright, but the prices haven’t been. Being the frugal girl that I am, I decided to start making vegan sushi myself to satisfy my weekly sushi cravings. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find seaweed. Other than that, however, my usual go-to ingredients were a bit more elusive. So until I can take a trip into the nearest big city to raid the big asian supermarket, I’ll have to make do with some more creative sushi fillings.

This week, I made Sweet Button Mushroom Maki and Negi-Kidney Bean Maki. I’ve used short-grain brown rice instead of sushi rice as it’s more satisfying and healthy. Plus, it adds a texture dimension to the maki. Short-grain rice will stick together more easily than long-grain, but you can still use the long-grain if it’s all you have on hand.

Ingredients

– 4 sheets of nori

– 1 1/2 cups of cooked short-grain brown rice, cooled

– 1 tbs of sushi vinegar (That’s just rice vinegar with a little sweetener. You can use regular vinegar with a tsp of brown sugar or other sweetener of your choice.)

Sweet Button Mushroom Filling

– 2-3 white button mushrooms, sliced

– 1 clove garlic, crushed

– 1 tbs of smashed ginger

– about 4″ length of cucumber, seeded and sliced into matchsticks

– 1 tsp soy sauce or 1/4 tsp salt for soy/gluten-free option

– 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (That’s the rooster brand!)

Negi-Kidney Bean Filling

– 1/2 cup of cooked kidney beans

– 1 tbs olive oil

– 1 clove garlic, minced

– 1/4 cup of loose, minced scallions (green onion)

– about 4″ length of cucumber, seeded and sliced into matchsticks

Directions

Season the rice

Mix rice vinegar with cooled rice and set aside.

For Sweet Button Mushroom Maki

Combine all the ingredients for the mushroom filling in a small bowl, except for cucumber. If there is not enough liquid to cover the mushrooms completely, just add a little water. Set this aside to marinate for at least ten minutes.

Lay out 1 sheet of nori on a flat surface or your sushi rolling mat. Using wet hands (this stops the rice from sticking to your fingers), take a handful of seasoned rice and spread it on the half of the sheet closest to you. Try to spread it as evenly as possible and take the rice all the way to the edges.

Drain the mushrooms and remove the pieces of crushed garlic and ginger. Take half the mushrooms and place it in the middle of the rice. Add a line of cucumber. Then, taking the edge of the nori closest to you, roll it up and over the filling. Press the outside of the roll firmly as you roll it up, away from you. Repeat with the 2nd sheet of nori. Set the rolls aside.

Negi-Kidney Bean Maki

Combine the minced garlic, kidney beans, and olive oil and mash them together with a fork. You can mash it completely for a more creamy texture, or leave in some texture. Mix in the green onions.

Roll up like the Buttom Maki, or try the “outside-rice” method. You’ll want to work on a sheet of parchment or a sushi mat lined with plastic so the rice doesn’t stick to your working surface.

Apply seasoned rice to the half of the sheet closest to you. Then, flip the sheet over so that the “riced” side is on the bottom. Place the filings in the middle of where the rice is and make sure you press firmly as you roll up the sheet. Repeat with the 4th sheet of nori.

Use a sharp, non-serrated knife to cut each roll into 6 – 8 pieces. I find it best to (carefully) work the knife back and forth rapidly, applying the lightest amount of pressure I can stand while cutting the sushi. That way the sushi hold together and doesn’t get squished. You may have the rinse the knife in between cuttings as the rice builds up on the blade.

I hope you give these easy and tasty sushi maki ideas a try. Good luck and enjoy!