Vegetable Sushi Risotto

 

Recipe by Toshi Kihara, Hamasaku, Los Angeles, CA

Ingredients:

Risotto:
4 yasukouchi tomatoes, (available from a Japanese farm in Carlsbad/Oceanside area)
2 pickled Japanese eggplant (not too sweet and not too salty)
8 snowpeas
1 Japanese cucumber, very finely julienned
1 medium avocado, chopped in chunks
1 tablespoon yellow corn
1 piece Tokyo green oniona, very finely julienned
2 ounces sushi rice

Black Olive Soy Sauce:
1 ounce black olives
1 large or 4 small cloves garlic
1 cup soy sauce, low sodium
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Oba (shiso leaf) and Italian parsley for garnish 

Sushi Rice:
1/3 cup sugar 
2 small pieces dried seaweed
1 1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 cup cooked sushi rice
1/8 cup sushi-zu  

Pickled Eggplant:
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 ounce ginger, grated
1 piece dried seaweed

Method:

Sushi Rice:
Combine vinegar, sugar, dried seaweed. Cook rice, add sushi-zu when cooked and mix together.

Pickled Eggplant:
Combine all the ingredients. Add diced eggplant. Make sure they are about half-size of thumb. Marinate at least overnight for sweet and 1 day for more sour taste.

Black Olive Soy Sauce: 
Combine black olives, soy sauce, garlic and balsamic vinegar in a food processor.  Puree until thoroughly combined. 

Tomato Cup:
Boil water. Place tomatoes in water and remove immediately. Peel and cut top off of tomato to create a cup. Remove seeds.
 

Snow Peas:
Boil snow peas with little salt to accentuate green color, about 5 minutes. 

Risotto:
Over the plate, drizzle black olive soy sauce. Combine sushi rice, corn, avocado, and snowpeas. Place in tomato cups and pickled eggplant on top. Drizzle additional black olive soy sauce over tomatoes with rice and vegetable mixture and eggplant. Garnish with oba and Italian parsley.

Serves 4.