Sushi with Mooli Rice

Rice isn't bad for you; there's nothing wrong with rice whatsoever in my opinion but in the spirit of all things raw, this is a great alternative. If we can make spaghetti with courgettes then why not make rice with mooli!?

Mooli, for those who are vegetably uninformed, is a type of radish. It looks a bit like a white carrot but is softer in texture. I've not seen them in the supermarkets but they're always in Asian food shops and they're cheap as chips.


So, for this recipe (makes around 10-12 bite-size bits of sushi) you will need:

• 1 mooli
• 1 spring onion
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• chunk of cucumber
• 2 nori sheets
• slither of smoked salmon (optional)
• 1 tsp honey or agave nectar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar or rice vinegar

Scrub the mooli and chop it into chunks. Pop it in the food processor until it looks a bit like rice. Add the vinegar and honey/agave, then pulse a few times to mix it all together.

Finely slice your cucumber, spring onion and avocado (and salmon, if using).

Lay out your nori sheet and add the mooli, covering just over two thirds of the sheet. Press it down firmly, it should only be around 2-3mm thick.

In the lunchbox ready!

Lay out all your fillings in a thin row about 4 cm from the bottom of the sheet. Don't be tempted to add too much otherwise it will be tricky to roll.

Roll the sheet tightly and when you reach the end bit, just moisten the nori so it sticks together. 

Cut into chunks using a sharp knife and serve with tamari (or soy sauce, if you're not wheat averse), wasabi and pickled ginger.

I already tried using carrot as "rice" as shown in this picture, but it's a bit too wet and doesn't bind together as well as the mooli. Tastes good though!