Sweet Potato Sushi

As my husband is usually the resident sushi maker, and we usually enjoy all kinds of creative sushi concontions with various ingredients. Sushi rice is so simple, it's really only a few ingredients and a couple extra steps.

  This is the first time I've made the rice myself! In my mission to create the kids their own ninja bento boxes:

(which is really just an egg wrapped in seaweed), I baked some sweet potato rounds to add to the boxes. Two cups of sushi rice usually makes a TON of sushi, so we had enough left over to share with the neighbors, and then it occured to me that the sweet potatoes would look excellent posing as "fish" on the sushi itself. Not only that, but I also soon realized that sweet potato and sushi rice are two flavors that were meant to be together.

Ingredents:

2 cups short grain rice
3 cups water

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. salt

Nori paper (dried seaweed) cut into thin strips
2 sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato slices on an oiled cookie sheet and brush with oil. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until just-crispy.

Meanwhile, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and simmer until combined.

While the rice is still hot, spread into a large, deep glass rectangular pan. Fold in the vinegar mix until combined well. Let cool.

Cut the sweet potatoes into rectangles.

Using your hand, form the cooled rice into rectangles. Wrap a strip of nori around it and season with sesame seeds. Place the sweet potato rectangles on top of the sushi rice. Serve at room temperature.