Brown Rice Veggie Sushi Rolls

Rolling sushi is hard. I rolled it up. It was too loose so I tried again. No matter how I struggled, a tightly rolled sushi roll eluded me. Finally, I gave up and sliced the dang roll, even though it was not as tight as the professional ones.

One of my high school teachers had a sign "The Problem with 'Good Enough' is That it Never Is." It took me years and years before I realized that his sign was wrong. Although it had good intentions, it left out the need to prioritize. Some things are worth striving for perfection, and some things are meant to be done quickly just to get them out of the way. I could spend 6 hours trying to get the sushi rolls rolled tight enough, but in the end a loose roll is good enough. The extra 5 hours and 55 minutes to make it perfect would be a waste of time.

And me? I am good enough just as I am. Loose sushi rolls and all.

Note: Do no attempt to make sushi rolls with rice that doesn't have any rice vinegar. My first attempt was with over cooked rice and no vinegar. I figured that it wouldn't make much of a difference, but it was an unsalvageable flop. A little bit of rice vinegar makes a huge difference.

Sushi Rice:

2 C brown rice

2 C water for cooking rice

2 T sugar (or 1 T sugar, 1 T mirin)

4 T rice vinegar

Filling:

julienned vegetables including avocados, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and bean sprouts

mayonnaise if desired

nori

Wash rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain for 15 minutes. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Do not stir. Cook, covered, until all water is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes.

While rice is cooking, combine sugar, vinegar, and mirin in a small saucepan and heat to dissolve sugar, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl add cooked rice and lightly fold in vinegar mixture. Let cool to room temperature but do not refrigerate.

If desired, lightly saute any crunchy julienned vegetables such as mushrooms and carrots.

To roll sushi:

Place a piece of plastic wrap over a bamboo sushi mat to make rolling easier. Place one sheet nori on top of plastic wrap. Sprinkle lightly with water. Spread about 6 T of rice evenly over nori, leaving 1/2 inch bar on the top and bottom. About 1 inch from the edge nearest you, put several rows of vegetables. Put the mayonnaise in a small baggie and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Squirt a thin strip of mayonnaise alongside the vegetables.

Roll up the nori, first rolling the mat over away from you and pressing to shape the roll, without catching the edge of the mat. Moisten the bare edge of nori (the furthest away from you) with a little water and press against the roll to seal. Try several times before giving up and calling it good enough. Repeat for each additional roll.

With a sharp, wet knife, slice each roll into 1" pieces. Serve with sliced pickled ginger, soy sauce, and wasabi if desired.