Veggie quinoa sushi

Veggie quinoa sushi

veggie quinoa sushi close up

This is what happens when a girl is left on her own – she tries to make every dish healthier than it needs to be.

Actually, it’s a lie! Ideally, I would stuff my face with a number of desserts, the ideas for which have been mulling around in my head, but I’m on a self-imposed sugar exile for two weeks as my sweet cravings were getting a bit out of control.

It’s hard, man. I wish I didn’t have a sweet tooth! So to occupy my brain with something else, I decided to make sushi rolls with quinoa!

My first attempt was a disaster – I wasn’t even able to roll these, but I solved the problem by adding miso paste to the quinoa, which makes it much more pliable. If you love quinoa, you’ll love these, and if you are not a fan of it, you’ll probably think I’m mad 🙂 .

rolling veggie quinoa sushi

veggie quinoa sushi stack

veggie quinoa sushi

veggie quinoa sushi portion

makes
6 rolls
PREP
30 min
COOKING
20 min
makes
6 rolls
PREPARATION
30 min
COOKING
20 min
INGREDIENTS

SUSHI

FILLING & CONDIMENTS

  • 1 small avocado, peeled & sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled & julienned
  • 1 beetroot, peeled & julienned
  • 1 small daikon (Japanish radish), peeled & julienned
  • wasabi
  • tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce
  • pickled ginger, store bought or homemade
METHOD
  1. Rinse your quinoa. Dissolve miso paste in ½ cup of water. Place rinsed quinoa in a pot with a see-through lid. Add dissolved miso paste and an extra 1 and ¾ cup of water to the pot. Put the lid on and bring quinoa to the boil. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat right down to simmer. Simmer (with a lid on) until all of the water has been absorbed. Once quinoa absorbs all the water (tilt the pot slightly to check if there is any water left in it), turn the heat off and leave the pot (DO NOT LIFT THE LID) on a hot hob for about 5-10 mins so that quinoa finishes cooking in its own steam. Make sure you cool it down completely before making sushi rolls or else nori sheets will become soggy.
  2. Proceed to make your sushi rolls:
    • STEP 1 (If you are new to sushi making, see this recipe for step-by-step photos) Wrap your sushi mat (bamboo mat or folded kitchen towel) in a large piece of cling film. Put the mat down, put a nori sheet on top of the mat, shiny side down. Grab some quinoa with a spoon and spread it evenly on the nori sheet leaving a 1 cm margin at the very top, for sealing. As well as spreading the quinoa evenly, keep on pressing it into the mat with the back of a spoon.
    • STEP 2 Place avocado slices, a few pieces of beetroot, carrot and diakon all along the sheet.
    • STEP 3 Using the mat, slowly start rolling the roll, squeezing it tightly with both hands as you roll. Go back every now and then to make sure everything is tightly bonded.
    • STEP 4 Once you get to the end, dip your finger in water and brush the water on the margin to seal the roll. Finish rolling and set the roll aside. Repeat last 4 steps with the remaining nori sheets.
  3. Once you’ve rolled all sushi rolls, cut them into 1 cm slices with a sharp knife. Serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and a side of tamari (or soy sauce).

NOTES
*Adding miso paste to the cooking water makes quinoa a little bit sticky, which means your sushi rolls won’t be falling apart. If you don’t have miso or if your quinoa isn’t sticky enough to stick together, mix a few teaspoons of flax or chia egg through it (after cooling) to ensure it adheres to nori sheets well.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
225
11%
sugars
5 g
5%
fats
6 g
9%
saturates
1 g
4%
proteins
10 g
20%
carbs
35 g
14%
*per roll
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5.0
3 reviews, 19 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Red:
I have cooked quinoa. Is there a way I can add the miso paste to it after it’s cooked that it would make it as sticky without making it mushy?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Red,
    You could dilute miso in a little bit of water first and then fold it in with a flexible spatula. Hope this helps x Ania
Maria:
Looks awesome! Can't wait to try it.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Maria! Hope you'll enjoy it! x Ania
Lisa:
You can also add tahini to the quinoa. Super easy to roll!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great idea, Lisa!
Amit Manocha:
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, looking forward to trying it!
Would adding the miso paste to the quinoa in a rice cooker work the same or is there a particular reason to go with cooking in a pot?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Amit,
    Unfortunately, I don't own a rice cooker so I cannot help you there. It should be okay, I am guessing. Ania
Val:
Dear Ania, this looks really great. But I am afraid that 3 tbsp of white miso paste is way too much for this recipe. I just cooked quinoa as per your instructions and it turned out to be unbearably salty (had to rinse it twice with boiling water afterwards). It is definitely all about taste buds, etc. I am not criticising you by any means. Just wanted to let you know that it might be useful to warn others with a low sodium lifestyle that it could be a bit overboard taste wise for them.
In any case, thank you for all your hard work and such an inspiration.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Oh no, I am so sorry to hear that Val! I swear that it did not seem too much to either me or my partner when we were testing this recipe. I wonder it may be to do with the typo of miso used or maybe we are just salt-addicts ;) - will put a note in to let others know. My apologies! Ania
Chris:
This looks great! I love the colors and different textures in it. I can't wait to try it. Thanks for posting this!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Chris! :) Hope you'll give it a go and like it! Ania
Matt:
Huh, quinoa sushi, neat idea. Can't wait to try
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Matt. Hope you'll like it! :)
Carmen:
Hi Ania,
i really like your kitchen/food blog.
Finally i tried these fantastic quinoa sushis!
My girly cooking crew and me enjoy it so much.
Thank you for this nice recipe and the option with flaxseed egg. It worked out well with this sticky stuff !
Best grettings from Germany,
Carmen
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Carmen,
    Aw, thanks so much! I'm so happy to hear that you guys tried it and enjoyed it too! :) x
Anne:
This is so genius girl!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks :)
Patty:
Are you using raw beets? Didn't know the could be eaten raw.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Patty, yes I am, they are delicious raw! Hope'll give it a go! :)
Wendy Gerster:
Ania, you are so creative! I must try this soon!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for such a warm reception, Wendy! :) Hope'll like it!
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