Here is a fresh, vibrant spring salad inspired by my many failed sushi rolls (hint – you always need a sharp knife) and love for the subtly astringent rice wine vinegar. It is also a salad I created as part of the Asian Salad Feast by JinJoo of Kimchimari, and you will be able to find links to all the other delicious salads towards the end of this post!
Sushi Bowl Goodness
What is a sushi bowl? Well, my pals, it allows you to enjoy all the splendours of sushi without the hassle of sushi rolling mats and sushi rolling tears. And while purist may argue that sushi that is not in roll-form has no right to be called sushi, not all of us possess the patience to perfect our rolling technique. I myself have made many a flopped sushi roll.
Despite my failures, I persist. I continue to craft sushi roll after sushi roll, all of which fall apart the second I slide the knife across it to chop it up into neat little sushi-discs. And, yes, a bad workman blames his tools and all that jazz – but! blunt knives are the failure of many a home cook. And so my lack of sushi roll success must be (MUST be) down to my knife. And while I COULD go out to Lakeland or what have you and purchase a brand new, razor-sharp chef’s knife – I am lazy.
In my defence, it was also snowing. And apart from my ardent affection for being horizontal, I am also dangerously clumsy. So my desire to stay in bed and avoid venturing into the slippery & deceptively-beautiful outdoors was to ensure I didn’t end up spending my weekends back in the hospital.
#spring amirite?
The sushi bowl bypasses my inevitable failure and frustration – and takes me straight to seasoned-rice paradise.
Pickled Ginger in a Hurry
Let’s talk about pickled ginger. My sushi bowl may lack nori (which, if you have it, you are welcome to shred and sprinkle with abandon) and a side of soy sauce+wasabi, but I was not going to skip out on the pickled ginger.
I love the stuff. Its camphor-like flavour is intensified when it is left in its pickling juice, giving a low burn and a contrasting burst of saccharine glee when you bite into it. It’s also pink. Which means it automatically makes anything you put it on a wee bit prettier.
Whenever the fam used to pop to Sake Sushi back home in Singapore, I’d tuck myself into the corner of the booth closest to the little tub of pickled ginger. Conveniently, this spot was also usually right next to the conveyor belt that delivered gunkan after gunkan to you. Sake Sushi days usually consisted of me eating half the tub of champagne-pink ginger, before gulping down any plate of inari unfortunate enough to reach our table via the sushi highway. Also, the mandatory mountain of kakiage. Needless to say, Sake Sushi days were always followed by a whole week of me feeling like I could burst.
Anyway! Pickled ginger. It’s fab. It’s spicy and assertive, and you need it to add a lil’ sharpness to your sushi bowl. I have included a recipe for easy peasy pickled ginger, but if you prefer – you can also just buy a pot of it.
Spring Has Sprung!
So my sushi bowl is celebrating the (supposed) arrival of my fav season by using all the glorious + gorgeous spring produce. From the peppery spring radish to the squeakingly fresh sugar-snap pea. But, if you happen to have other vegetables you enjoy OR you are reading this when it is not spring – use whatever veg you want to. Such is the beauty of a sushi bowl. It’s adaptable (unlike myself) (see above comment about inability to function due to snow).
I have also made a ‘spicy-tomato’ that looks shockingly similar to its salmon/tuna counterpart. It doesn’t taste like fish, but it doesn’t taste of tomato either. It’s blanched, skinned, then left to marinate in briny soy sauce and creamy dreamy mayo – and the marinade penetrates the little skin-less tomato chunks, transforming them into a whole other vegetable. It’s magic. Trust me. Pure vegetable alchemy.
p.s. If this is the first time you’re reading one of my recipes, the ingredients are separated out according to when you will use them. So don’t feel confused if you see vinegar listed twice! Just work your way down the list and you will know which quantity to use first.
- ¼ cup rice wine of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp beetroot powder, optional (or 1 drop red food colouring)
- 1 large thumb of ginger, peeled
- ⅔ cups short grain brown rice*
- 2 tsp rice wine of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp each of black and white sesame seeds
- 4 tomatoes
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tsp vegan mayo
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 large spring onion
- 12 spring radishes, sliced
- 1 bag (150g) sugar snap peas
- ¼ head red cabbage, shredded
- 1 carrot, shredded
- To garnish - Mayo, spring onions, sesame seeds, nori
- First, make the pickled ginger. Skip this step if you are using store-bought! Stir the vinegar, water, sugar and salt (and beetroot powder if using) until sugar is dissolved. Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons out of the peeled ginger, then place it in the liquid mixture and set aside for at least 20 minutes
- To make the rice, add the uncooked rice to a pot of boiling water and simmer until tender (about 25 minutes). Drain and cool. Meanwhile, stir the vinegar, sugar and salt together until the sugar is dissolved, then pour into the cooled rice and stir to distribute. Also, stir in the sesame seeds
- Make the spicy tomatoes by scoring an X on the base of each of them. Place them in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds, then immediately remove and submerge in a bowl of ice-cold water. The skin will start to peel off. Leave for two minutes, then remove from the icy water and peel completely. Slice the tomatoes into half, and scoop out the seeds (you will not need them but they make a great addition to pasta sauces or vegetable stocks). Cube the remaining tomato flesh, then add to a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, mayo, sesame seeds and spring onion. Leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes, as you prepare the veg. It gets better with time so for best results prepare this a few hours ahead!
- Chop up all the vegetables and assemble the bowls with the rice, fresh veg, spicy tomatoes and ginger for garnish. This is also great with more mayo over the top and nori - if you have it.
Note – For GF, use tamari instead of soy sauce
MORE ASIAN SALAD FEAST
#AsianSaladFeast with Kimchimari.com
Tofu Salad with Iceberg Lettuce and Sweet Corn by Kimchimari
Thai Larb Salad by Wok & Skillet
Gado Gado Salad by Brunch-n-Bites
Paleo Asian Coleslaw by What Great Grandma Ate
Vietnamese Chicken and Rice Vermicelli Salad by Nut Free Wok
Salad with Spiced Grated Coconut Topping (Urap Sayur) by What to Cook Today
Authentic Thai Fish Salad by Healthy World Cuisine
Thai Seafood Salad (Yum Talay) by A Taste of Joy and Love
Crunchy Thai Eggplant Salad by Grits & Chopsticks
Springtime Sushi Bowl by The Sasha Diaries
Burmese Ginger Salad (Gin Thoke) by Love is in My Tummy
Shabu Shabu Cold Noodle Salad by Chopstick Chronicles
Japanese Potato Salad by V for Veggy
Broccoli Sesame Dressing by Daily Cooking Quest
This salad is so colorful! I love how light it is yet filled with ingredients that I know will satisfy my hunger. 🙂
Thank you so much Christine 🙂 As spring rolls around I can’t wait to tuck into fresh veg after months and months of warm soups and stews 🙂 x
This sushi bowl definitely screams SPRING all over! What a gorgeous creation and bursting in colors! Who needs to roll sushi when you can put everything so beautifully in a bowl like this
Thank you so much Marvellina! I have been a huge fan of your work for so long now so it means so much that you have left me a comment. xxx
Oh my, this is the most gorgeous bowl ever! Such a brilliant idea to deconstruct sushi into this yummy recipe. Looks delicious!
Hehe it was an idea born out of necessity (and my lack of sushi rolling skills) but that you so much Jean 🙂 xx
Love your explanation of a sushi bowl.. lol..beautiful pictures and recipe. So colorful that I just know it’s healthy. Thank you!
Thank you so much JinJoo, and for organising this salad feast party! It was so much fun 🙂 x
Ok my sushi skills are questionable too, and would totally love to take this shortcut! And I absolutely adore the idea of using beet powder while picking the ginger! Definitely getting on that!
Hehe it’s a little cheat since I think you need a special kind of ginger to make it pink when in pickles 😛
Not all sushi comes in roll. I have eaten plenty of sushi bowl (a.k.a chirashi sushi), so your bowl version is totally legit 🙂 Love the color combo, and I love the use of more unusual brown rice for your sushi rice.
Thank you so much Anita 🙂 I love short grain brown rice – it’s chewy and also has a slight nuttiness that works so well here 🙂
I love the combinations of flavors in this bowl. And thanks for sharing how to make pickled ginger. This sushi bowl has all my favorite things, especially the peas. 🙂 I can’t wait to try!
Thank you so much Amy 🙂 Pickled ginger is the best! x
Wow, what a beautiful assortment of veggies! I love how it’s a sushi bowl instead of your typical sushi rolls. Can’t wait to try it!
haha thank you so much Ann <3 <3
Hi Sasha, beautifully presented sushi. Sushi means vinegared rice and there are many different variety of sushi. Not only rolled one is called sushi. Sushi bowl is similar to Chirashi-zushi which is scattered sushi 😀
Thank you so much! And for letting me know that 🙂 I like the idea of ‘scattered sushi’! x
I absolutely love the colors and flavors here! Looks so fresh and delicious! I love love love pickled ginger as well 🙂
Thank you so much Char <3 Ginger is the best! x
So Much colour in this its beautiful! 🙂
Thank you xxxx 🙂 <3
This sushi bowl truly looks beyond beautiful! I would totally make this, as I just cannot roll up sushi, no patience!!! great recipe and a very smart idea
Thank you so much Albert! It’s a great way to enjoy sushi with a lot less of the hassle 😛 xx
I love, love, love your pickled ginger hack!! I had no idea it was so easy to make and that it could be done without artificial colors. Your sushi salad bowl looks like a very delicious and healthy meal, thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Sharon! Xx
Awesome. went out for Sushi lastnight, and watch a video with Sushi today! I can never have too much Sushi~!
Couldn’t agree more!!! 🙂
Love the idea of a sushi bowl, I can’t wait to try this recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
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