Healthy Sushi Bowl
- tidbitsfromemily
- Dec 15, 2014
- 4 min read
Sushi.
I wish I could have it all day, everyday. Oh, that would be the greatest thing ever. *Dreamy eyes* But wait. If I did… I would probably get sick of it and that would be absolute sadness. Let’s hope that never happens.
Anyway, as I self-proclaimed sushi lover—er, well actually, I’m not really a “real” sushi lover because the only sushi that I order are California rolls, baked salmon rolls, avocado rolls or mushroom rolls…hehe. Okay, okay! I’m not a true sushi lover, I’m sorry I don’t like raw fish! The only fish I can tolerate is salmon…–I simply cannot get enough of sushi. So I came up with this recipe to satisfy with my sushi cravings with the ingredients I had in my fridge. Let’s dive into it!
Quick note: As you may have noticed, most sushi rolls are most commonly made using short grain rice–white colored Japanese rice with a sticky-like consistency. In this recipe, we will be using brown rice because for one, I do not have Japanese rice in my house, and this sushi bowl does not require any of the preparation and techniques used in sushi-making (besides, brown rice has great health benefits as you will soon read below!). I was simply inspired by sushi hence I came up with this sushi bowl.
Nutrition Spotlight: Brown Rice
With the many different types of rice sold in the marketplace these days, it’s not only hard to decide what rice to buy, but also which one is the most healthiest for you. White rice? Brown rice? Short grain, medium grain, or long grain? What’s the difference? As a nutrition major, I have learned all the answers to these questions in my nutrition classes. Let’s jump right into it!
As I have learned in my Fundamentals of Food class, rice can be divided intothree categories: long grain, medium grain, and short grain.
Long grain: the most popular type of grain in the United States, remains firm and fluffy-like when cooked. This is due to the fact that it has more amylose, which is a crystallized form of starch that consists of long, unbranched polysaccharide chains, and less amylopectin, which is not a crystallized form of starch and consists of branched polysaccharide chains.
Medium grain: turns sticky when it is cooled. It contains more amylopectinand less amylose.
Short grain: commonly used in sushi, risotto, and paella contains more starch, hence even more amylopectin than medium grain rice, and has less amylose. It is tender and sticky when it is cooked.
Amylose or amylopectin…why does that matter?
As I mentioned, amylose is an unbranched form of starch. It consists of glucose residues that are linked α-1,4. Amylopectin, on the other hand, is the branched form of starch. It consists of glucose residues that are linked one α-1,6 for approximately every 20-25 α-1,4 linkages. Due to their structures, amylose takes up less space than amylopectin and is not as easily digested in the human body. This is generally good for the human body because it feeds into the bacteria in our guts, and helps maintain normal gut function, improve blood glucose levels and regulation of insulin, lowers triglyceride and blood cholesterol levels, and improves the feeling of satiety (feeling of fullness).
Brown rice is one of the healthiest options of rice. When brown rice is processed, only the outermost layer of the grain, called the husk, is removed. Hence, the bran, germ, and endosperm of the kernel remains. On the other hand, when white rice is processed, the husk, bran, and germ layer is removed and only the endosperm remains. Why do these layers matter?
Husk: outermost layer of the grain, gives protection to the kernel
Bran: a tough, outer layer of the kernel, contains fiber and B complex vitamins
Germ: smallest portion of the kernel, contains fat and thiamin
Endosperm: contains protein and carbohydrates
Hence, brown rice contains fiber, B complex vitamins, healthy fats, thiamin, protein, and carbohydrates. In addition to this, brown rice also contains riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc, niacin, and selenium. In a nutshell–brown rice contains far more nutrients than white rice and can definitely contribute to overall good health.
Recipe: Healthy Sushi Bowl
Ingredients
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp raw sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil or canola oil
1 cup green beans
1 cup frozen green peas
4 oz organic baked tofu
1 stalk of green onion
brown rice
seaweed (optional)
avocado
Optional:
salt
Directions:
Preparation: Cook brown rice in a rice cooker. Rinse green beans (cut off stems) and green peas with cool water. Rinse organic baked tofu with cool water and cut into small pieces. Cut the stalk of green onion into small pieces and discard the bulb.
Pour about 1 cup of water into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add green beans and green peas and cook for approximately 5 minutes until the green beans are slightly tender but still very crisp.
Drain the veggies in a drainer. Set aside.
In the same saucepan that you used to cook the veggies, add olive oil. CAUTION: the pan may still be hot!
Add the cooked green beans and green peas, as well as the organic tofu to the pan.
Cook on high for about 3 minutes.
During this time, combine soy sauce, garlic powder, and sugar in a small bowl and mix.
Pour this mixture into the saucepan. Mix.
Add the cut green onion to the saucepan. Stir.
Cook until the organic tofu turns golden-brown or until desired texture. Season with more garlic powder and/or salt if desired.
Combine the brown rice, veggies, tofu, avocado, and seaweed into a bowl. Enjoy!
Tips:
Feel free to cook the vegetables or tofu in less or longer time than suggested. This is personally how long I cook these items but everyone likes a different texture of their food so do whatever you desire the most!
I used sugar in this recipe to bring out the flavor of the soy sauce and garlic powder. I personally like this taste but you can omit the sugar if you desire.
If this tastes too bland, add more soy sauce and/or garlic powder.
If you try this out, do let me know!:)
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