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[Recipe] How to make pressed sushi (Oshizushi) with brown rice

Rice is a staple in my household and loved by my kids. Whether it be long-grain, Jasmine, Basmati, or Gluttonous rice; I love how easy it is to cook, and the endless dishes that can be made with rice. Although I have made various types of rice, I have only tried making brown rice for the first time this year and have only eaten it on the occasion when dining out. Not sure why it took me this long.

USA Brown Rice

Re-introducing brown rice into my meals has been eye-opening. My family eats Jasmine (white) rice mainly, and found that the brown rice is an excellent substitute in dishes such as congee and fried rice. The cooking time was a bit longer than cooking Jasmine rice on the stove top, but with new technology, there are rice cookers with a “brown rice” setting to speed things up. In my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, I was able to cook perfect brown rice in about 30 minutes time. For my recipe, I have used the stove top method.

Cooked brown rice adds a tasty dimension to dishes with its nutty flavour. Also, brown rice is versatile and affordable, which is great for feeding a hungry family like mine. I knew that brown rice was healthy, but I did not really know what that meant until recently.

Brown rice is the whole grain with only its inedible outer hull removed. White rice is a source of B-vitamins, phosphorus and zinc. Brown rice has all those minerals, plus it contains fibre, magnesium, selenium and manganese. Like woah!

Other healthy facts about Brown Rice:

A source of fibre
A slow burning complex carbohydrate, providing long lasting energy.
It’s naturally sodium-, cholesterol- and gluten-free and one of the least allergenic of all grains
Contains:
- phosphorus, which aids in the formation and maintenance of bones and teeth.
- Zinc, niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6, which are all factors in energy metabolism and tissue formation.
- Thiamine, a B-vitamin which helps turn carbohydrates into usable energy for the body.
- Magnesium, which is a factor in energy metabolism and bone development.
- Rice is nutritious and low in calories (only 108 calories per half cup serving).

Source: USA Rice

I like to know where my food comes from, and was surprised to know that the majority of rice consumed in Canada comes from the U.S, which means that U.S grown brown rice is as local as it gets for Canada. For more information about U.S.A Brown Rice, including recipes and facts, visit www.riceinfo.com (@USARiceCan on Twitter and Instagram).

Pressed sushi with USA Brown Rice

Now onto the fabulous recipe! Pressed sushi (referred to Oshizushi in Japan) is a hot sushi item at many Toronto Japanese restaurants, and I wanted to show you that with a few tools and simple techniques, it can be created at home. The brown rice was a perfect medium to hold the ingredients intact.

The pressed sushi uses U.S.A Brown rice and sushi grade tuna. Each blow torched sushi was topped with a thinly sliced jalapeno pepper, a cilantro miso mayonnaise and salmon roe. Not only will the plate of sushi blow you away (hello, sushi porn!), each bite is divine!

Pressed Sushi with brown rice

I bought the U.S.A Brown Rice from a local Asian supermarket called “T & T Supermarket”, with the rice labelled “Product of California”. The sushi mold, and other Japanese ingredients were purchased from J-Town; a Japanese market in Toronto. If you can’t find a sushi mold, make one out of cardboard, or find a rectangular container.

INGREDIENTS:

*Makes 18

1 cup (250 ml) of USA Brown rice
2 cups (500 ml) of water
Pinch of salt
1/8 cup (30 ml) of seasoned sushi vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper-deseeded and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of finely chopped coriander
1/3 cup (80 ml) of Japanese mayo
1 tablespoon (15 ml) of white miso paste
1/2 pound (227 g) of sushi grade tuna
1/4 cup (60 ml) of salmon roe

STEPS:

1. Clean the brown rice. Add the rice to a bowl, and add enough water to cover the rice. Swirl the rice around. Drain and repeat a few times until the water is clear.

USA Brown Rice

2. Add 2 cups (500 ml) of water to a pot (I used a Dutch oven) and the rice. Let the water boil for 2 minutes, and then switch the heat to low. Put the lid on and cook for 45 minutes on low. At 45 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for another 10 minutes. The rice should be cooked fully.

3. Place the rice into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and the sushi vinegar. Mix and then let the rice cool.

4. Remove the seeds and slice the jalapeno pepper. Chop the coriander.

5. In a bowl, add the Japanese mayo, miso paste and chopped coriander and mix well. Place the contents into a squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use.

6. Cut the tuna the same width and length of the sushi mold. Cut the tuna into 3.5 inches (8.89 cm) by 2 inches (5.08 cm) that is about 0.4 inches (1 cm) thick.

7. Cut thin strips of tuna to fit in the middle of the mold (see picture below). To assemble, place the sushi mold on a flat surface. Add a layer of rice (about 0.4 inches/1 cm thick), followed by a thin strip of tuna. Use a spoon to distribute the rice into all corners of the mold.

8. Add another layer of rice (about 0.4 inches/1 cm thick), followed by a larger piece of tuna.

9. Place the press on top of the sushi and press down gently. I measured each sushi to be about 1 inch in height (2.54 cm) after the sushi is pressed. Remove the sushi mold.