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Sushi Bake

Somehow, throughout all my years as a sushi blogger… I’ve never tried a sushi bake?

THAT CHANGES TODAY.

TBH it never sounded super appetizing to me BUT I’m always down for giving things a chance and I had a feeling it was going to be tastier than it looked (to me)!

I was right.

It’s SUPER easy to make (way easier than sushi), totally appropriate for a weeknight meal (as long as you set that rice to be ready ahead of time), and very tasty!

This has all the creamy, sushi goodness of every hot American-style sushi roll you’ve ever had… it reminds me a lot of sushi dynamite or deep-fried california rolls.

I highly recommend it!

Sushi Bake

recipe very slightly adapted from I Am A Food Blog

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups (2 Zojirushi cups) short grain rice, cooked
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 8 oz imitation crab, shredded and chopped
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temp
  • 1/2 cup kewpie mayo
  • 1/4 cup furikake nori or sesame seeds https://youtu.be/B6AORDkzEtU
  • 1/2 cucumber, sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • Korean seaweed snacks
Cooking Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small sauce pan and warm over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Using a slicing motion, mix into the rice. Let the rice cool slightly.
  2. In a bowl, mix the shredded crab with the cream cheese and mayo until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Spread the sushi rice into an oven safe baking dish and top with 1/2 of the furikake.
  4. Top with the cream cheese mayo crab mix. Sprinkle on the remaining furikake.
  5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the top just begins to brown and bubble and the casserole is warmed through.
  6. Enjoy warm with seaweed, sliced cucumbers, and sliced avocados.

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Maki Recipes TikTok YouTube

French Flag Kazari Sushi

I love traveling.

I hate trying to find shoes for traveling.

Does anyone else have this problem? I feel like you can never find the perfect pair of shoes for a trip because when you’re traveling, you’re walking so much more than you do in day-to-day life. So the shoes that work for everyday stuff don’t work for traveling.

Used to be, I wanted cute shoes because you know, we all want those cute travel photos.

I’ve given up on that. I’ve entirely given up on that.

These days, I just want shoes that will not make my feet cramp, will not give me blisters, will not make my calves cramp.

And do you realize how impossible that is?!

I’ve also discovered that apparently my feet are slightly different sizes, which has never bothered me in day-to-day stuff, but when it comes to finding shoes that won’t give you blisters, but then one shoe does and one shoe doesn’t because you can’t find the right fit… Yeah, it’s a challenge.

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Maki Recipes TikTok YouTube

Japanese Flag Sushi

If I had to choose one thing to import from Japanese culture into American culture, it would be the konbini.

Konbini, or Japanese convenience stores – which, you think 7-11, and they do have 7-11 konbinis in Japan, but the difference is, in Japan, you can go to a 7-11, you can get a full meal. It will be a healthy meal. And if you choose sushi, you don’t have to worry that it’ll kill you.

But seriously, every time we go to Japan, which we’ve been three times already, we can easily live off of konbini.

We actually have because we were working from Japan one time and every day we would just go get a bunch of food from the konbini and bring it back to our place and work, but the onigiri, the egg salad sandwiches… oh my gosh, the egg salad sandwiches. All of the food in the konbini are just so good.

And you know, it’s saying something because Japan in general has amazing food and yet the konbinis stand out.

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Maki Recipes TikTok YouTube

Seven Treasures Roll

What do you treasure in life – aside from living beings because you know, we all treasure our parents, our friends, our partner, our pets… but what are the things in life that you treasure?

For me… I treasure peace and quiet.

I treasure snuggly blankets.

I treasure the internet because it can be a trash fire at times but it gives me a way to express myself without really having to, you know, deal with people.

I treasure good food, obviously.

I treasure dancing. I’ve danced all my life and it’s something that even to this day really lights me up inside.

I treasure fuzzy socks. You can probably find me year-round wearing fuzzy socks, I love them so much.

And I treasure books with satisfyingly happy endings.

What do you treasure?

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Maki Recipes Sushi YouTube

Currywurst sushi

It’s October, which means Oktoberfest! (At least, it was when we recorded this video – Oktoberfest actually started in late September, and ended two days ago!)

Regardless of timing, Oktoberfest means beer… which seems a bit difficult to put in sushi. So we’re going with the next best thing – currywurst!

So how did currywurst work in sushi? You’ll have to watch the video to find out! But let’s just say… definitely not in my top 5.

Currywurst sushi on a smear of curry sauce

You may have also noticed a new tool in the sushi kitchen! I got a plastic rolling mat from Daiso a few weeks ago, and this was my first chance to try it out.

I like it so far – it’s easy to clean, I don’t have to waste plastic every time I roll sushi, and it seems to work as well as a bamboo mat. However, I’m still holding off on passing judgement – gotta see how it holds up to weeks and months of sushi-making before I can officially recommend it!

Today’s Question of the Day: What is your favorite kind of beer?

Currywurst sushi

Currywurst recipe from The Kitchen Maus

Makes 1 roll

Ingredients
  • 1 sheet nori
  • 1/2 cup sumeshi
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/16 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp beef broth
  • 1/2 tbsp water
  • 1 bratwurst
  • 1/4 cup saeurkraut
Cooking Directions
  1. Cook sushi rice.
  2. Put the ketchup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until ketchup is warmed through.
  3. Add the baking soda, stirring constantly. It will foam, then subside. Keep stirring until it looks like normal ketchup again.
  4. Reduce heat to low. Add the remaining spices, then the worcestershire sauce, broth, and water. Simmer 10 minutes, until sauce thickens.
  5. Pan-fry the bratwurst over medium heat until browned on all sides. Add 1/8 cup of water and cover the pan. Let cook another 10 minutes.
  6. Remove from pan, and slice the bratwurst into quarters, lengthwise.
  7. With a bamboo rolling mat (or a plastic rolling mat, as seen in the video!), roll the sushi inside-out, using the bratwurst and saeurkraut as your fillings.
  8. Slice the sushi, top with the curry sauce, and enjoy!

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Maki Recipes

Spicy Tofu Roll

I’ve been a big fan of Marisa Baggett for quite some time now. (We sushi ladies stick together!) I loved her first book, Sushi Secrets – so when I heard she was coming out with a second, vegetarian sushi cookbook… I was definitely excited.

Then she reached out to me about a year ago, asking if I’d write a foreword for her upcoming cookbook. I was flabbergasted. Marisa Baggett, southern sushi chef extraordinaire, wants me, maker of the most random sushi and owner of a more or less defunct sushi blog, to write something for her cookbook?! This woman had Trevor Corson write the foreword for her last cookbook. I was certain she’d made a mistake, perhaps she meant to ask someone else?

But no – she really did mean to ask me.

And today, nearly a year later, I can officially say I’m a published author (I swear this counts… sort of…), because today is the release date of Vegetarian Sushi Secrets!!!

(Can you tell I’m all sorts of excited?)

And seeing as not only did I contribute a foreword to the book, but also that I am a sushi blogger (ignore the fact that I haven’t blogged in ages), of course I had to try out some recipes from her book to celebrate!

As a matter of fact, I tried three recipes. Her Faux Roe “Boats” are a fun vegetarian take on fish roe gunkan maki! Her Clear Soup with Pumpkin Dumplings was delicious and easy to make, and perfect for these cooler autumn days – you can find that recipe over on the Fridgg Blog.

But my absolute favorite recipe that I tried from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets is her Spicy Tofu Roll.

To say Son and I loved this roll would be to put it mildly. It would be more accurate to say we’re obsessed, we’re addicted, we couldn’t stop going back for more.

Now I must warn you – there’s a good reason this is called a Spicy Tofu Roll. One piece had me sprinting for a glass of water, then following it with a glass of milk to try to cool my flaming mouth. (Although, yes, I am a bit of a spice wimp. But in my defense, Son thought it was pretty spicy too.)

But despite all that (or perhaps because of it), I couldn’t.stop.eating them. The flavor combination is exactly on point (and trust me – even though it makes it even spicier, you must top each piece with a bit of curry mayonnaise!), and the textures of the ingredients complemented each other perfectly. Next time I’m quadrupling the batch, because Son and I demolished the rolls I made.

And the ultimate complement? Of all the sushi recipes I’ve ever posted on Sushi Day, there are only a few that end up on the annual New Year’s Day sushi rotation: I make a bunch of bacon crunchy shrimp rolls, a few kyoto rolls, plenty of spicy shrimp inari, and just a couple of kappa maki. But despite the fact that my mom’s generation of my family really, really doesn’t do spicy, these Spicy Tofu Rolls are definitely going in this year’s sushi rotation – even if the younger generation are the only ones brave enough to eat it!

Spicy tofu roll

Recipe from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett, out today!

Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Mix together the tofu, green onion, orange juice, fresh orange zest, togarashi, dark sesame oil, and garlic chili paste. Add salt, to taste.
  2. Place a 4×7-in (10×18-cm) sheet of nori vertically on a bamboo rolling mat. Make sure that the short end is parallel to the bottom of the mat and that the rough side is facing upwards.
  3. Dip your fingertips lightly in cool water and spread about 3/4 cup (150 g) of the sushi rice evenly over the bottom 3/4 of the nori.
  4. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons of the spicy tofu mixture horizontally across the center of the rice. Place 1 avocado wedge on top of the spicy tofu. Top with 1/4 of the carrots.
  5. Wet your fingertips again and slide your thumbs underneath the mat while grasping the fillings with all other fingertips. Roll the bottom of the mat just over the fillings, tucking the fillings tightly under the fold. (Do not allow the mat to get stuck inside the roll!)
  6. Lift the edge of the mat. Continue rolling until the roll is complete and the seam is facing down. Gently shape the roll by pressing your forefingers on top of the mat while simultaneously pressing your thumbs and middle fingers on the sides.
  7. Allow the roll to rest seam-side down on a cutting board for at least 2 minutes. Repeat steps to make 3 more rolls.
  8. To cut the rolls, dip the blade of a very sharp knife in water. Use a swift sawing motion to cut each roll into 5 pieces. Dollop curry mayonnaise on each piece and top with faux roe before serving.

I received a copy of this cookbook for free, as well as provided a foreword for the cookbook. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

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Other Recipes

Curry Mayonnaise

Spicy tofu roll

One batch of this is way, way more than you need for a batch of the spicy tofu rolls from Marisa Baggett’s Vegetarian Sushi Secrets.

However, you should definitely still make a full batch. Because if you’re anything like me, you will find yourself addicted to this amazing curry mayonnaise, and start putting it on everything.

Eat it with sushi. Slather it on sandwiches. Dip vegetables in it. The possibilities are endless!

As for me, I’m off to go make another batch. Like I said… addicted!

Recipe from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett, out today!

Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small non-metal bowl and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before using to allow the flavors to settle.

I received a copy of this cookbook for free, as well as provided a foreword for the cookbook. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

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Faux Roe “Boats”

Roe, roe, roe your boat…

These “Faux Roe Boats”, or gunkan maki, are a fun sushi to make, and easier than normal rolled sushi – perfect for beginners!

Recipe from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett, out today!

Ingredients
Cooking Directions
  1. Wet your fingertips and palms lightly with water. Grab a walnut-sized amount of the sushi rice (about 2 tablespoons) and mold it into a rectangular mound. The bottom should be flat. Repeat this with the remaining rice to form 12 “beds” in all.
  2. Cut the nori into twelve 1 1/2 x 5-in (4×13-cm) strips. (Any remaining nori can be saved and cut into “seatbelts” for nigiri sushi.) Wrap one strip of nori, rough side facing in, around 1 bed of rice to form a wall. If desired, use a single grain of rice to “glue” the edges together. Repeat with remaining nori strips and rice beds.
  3. Arrange the rice beds on a serving tray. Top each with 1 tablespoon of the faux roe.

I received a copy of this cookbook for free, as well as provided a foreword for the cookbook. Links in this post may be affiliate links.

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Faux Roe

Faux roe boats

When I first saw the recipe list from Marisa Baggett’s new cookbook, Vegetarian Sushi Secrets, this Faux Roe recipe jumped out at me. How did she manage to create something that looks so similar to real fish roe, and yet is vegetarian?

Well now I know – amaranth! This grain is one of those “superfoods” that people go on about, and in addition to being healthy, is the perfect size and shape to imitate fish roe. Add in some turmeric for color, and vegetarian dashi for an almost-fishy flavor, and you’ve got the perfect “faux roe”!

Spicy tofu roll

Recipe from Vegetarian Sushi Secrets by Marisa Baggett, out today!

One batch of this is enough to make both the faux roe “boats” and the spicy tofu rolls.

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetarian dashi (half a batch)
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) amaranth
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • One 1/2-in (1.25-cm) piece kombu (kelp), wiped with a damp cloth
Cooking Directions
  1. Bring the vegetarian dashi to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the amaranth, salt, and turmeric, stirring well to prevent sticking. Add the kombu. Cover the pan and reduce heat to keep at a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. There should still be some liquid left in the pan. Strain the amaranth and set aside to cool.

I received a copy of this cookbook for free, as well as provided a foreword for the cookbook. Links in this post may be affiliate links.