Quinoa is only something I’ve been eating for the last couple of years and now it is so common in healthfood shops, organic cafe’s and even supermarkets that I would say its part of my staple diet. I still eat rice but Quinoa trumps rice in terms of fibre, protein and iron and its amazing anti-inflammatory benefits, it is also great if you are on a gluten free diet as technically Quinoa is a seed not a grain.

I wanted to try Quinoa sushi as I’ve seen it in cafe’s around Sydney and thought it couldn’t be too hard to make. This recipe can be tried with any filling that you like whether it be completely raw vegan or something more meaty like chicken or beef. I have included a raw vegan option and salmon option below!

You will need:

100g Quinoa

300ml water

1/2 lemon

150g Salmon

1/2 red pepper sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 small cucumber, sliced

1-2 cooked small beetroot sliced

pickled daikon sliced*

6-10 Nori sheets

2 tbsp mixed sesame seeds

1 tsp ground chilli

Wasabi

Pickled ginger

Tamari

Sushi mat

Serves 2 (main meal) or 4 (entree/snack)

Method:

• Measure out the Quinoa and place in a pan, fill with the water and bring it to the boil, squeeze the lemon into the water. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed. (I use 100g of Quinoa per 300ml of water)
• Slice all of your vegetables and salmon into long strips.
• Once the Quinoa is cooked drain and leave to cool. I coated mine with a dash of tamari and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
• Lay out your nori sheet shiny side down onto a sushi mat or tea towel (if you haven’t rolled sushi before I would recommend watching a video on this first).
• Cover your nori sheet with the quinoa leaving approx 4cm space at the top edge. You want the quinoa to cover the sheet but don’t pile it on too thick as it won’t roll!
• Place your ingredients a third of the way up the mat. I used a combination of salon, beetroot, cucumber, pickled daikon and a small amount of wasabi for one. For the vegan option I used all of the vegetables and I included some pickled ginger.
• Once finished, roll the sushi and if necessary use some water to stick the top edge down.
• Slice with a sharp knife and serve with pickled ginger, tamari and wasabi.

*pickled daikon was available at my health food shop but its not mandatory if you can’t get hold of it!

Enjoy x x