Cauliflower and Quinoa Sushi Roll

This was the recipe that inspired me to cook Japanese. It's the quinoa, really. Quinoa is not only high in amino acids and nutritious but also tastety. I love the subtly nutty flavor of this seeds (NOT a grain). Cooked quinoa is creamy, fluffy and crunchy all at the same time. I once saw red quinoa in a health store in Kuala Lumpur. I should have bought it then. The only type they have here is yellow. According to my Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, quinoa has all the essential amino acids - excellent protein choice for vegan.

I found the recipe uses way too much boiling water for the amount of quinoa it requires. I should have just followed the cooking instruction on the package. Instead of using smoked salmon, I thought I'd try smoked snow fish for a change. I bought a small tin of wasabi powder and somehow figured my way of understanding the Japanese instruction based on the few Chinese characters on the label. It's actually better than most Japanese restaurants.

Makes 4 large rolls

Ingredients

• 250g Cauliflower Florets
  
• 75g Quinoa
  
• 225ml Boiling Salted Water
• 15ml Agave Nectar
• 15ml Rice Wine Vinegar
• 60ml Water
• 2 Tbsp Rice Mirin
• 4 Sheets of Nori
• 6 Spears of Asparagus, cooked
• 120g Smoked Salmon

To serve: pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi paste

To make the filling

· Blitz the cauliflower in a food processor until it forms small grains, resembling cooked couscous. (I was lazy to wash the blender and hence used only knife)

· Tip the quinoa into a pan containing the boiling water and cook on a moderate heat for 10 minutes.

· Meanwhile, mix together the agave nectar, rice wine vinegar and water.

· Add the cauliflower and vinegar mixture to the quinoa.

· Continue to cook until the cauliflower is just tender and the quinoa is cooked, adding a little more water if the mixture looks too dry.

· Add the rice mirin and mix well.

· Cover and remove from the heat.

· Leave to cool - the cauliflower and quinoa mixture can be made in advance and left in the fridge until needed.

To assemble the sushi

· Place a nori sheet shiny side down on a sushi rolling mat. You want the shorter side facing you.

· Spread a quarter of the filling onto the half of the nori sheet nearest to you, leaving about 1cm gap from the edge.

· Lay strips of smoked salmon horizontally across the centre of the filling.

· Lay a single row of asparagus horizontally on top of the salmon.

· Moisten the far edge of the nori sheet with a little water.

· Using the sushi mat and your fingers carefully roll the nori sheet up and over the filling.

· Roll up as tight as possible.

· Repeat with the other 3 rolls.

To serve

· Wet a sharp serrated knife and cut each roll into 6-8 portions.

· Serve with Japanese pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi paste.

Japanese for Second First-Kiss Anniversary

So I named the first time we kissed. I have a mixed feeling: 1. it's been two years. 2. it feels longer than two years. Both in good sense. It feels as though we should have known each other longer than two years. And at the same time, given the events and circumstances surrounding us, it's incredible that 2 years have quietly gone by without much warning.
Same time last year, I marked our First First-Kiss Anniversary with a handmade card. On one page it's a camel posing in front of a temple. It symbolizes the location and witness to our very first kiss: in front of Golden Temple in Yunnan, China, next to a camel. You can tell I made the card because I screwed up the lamination.

True to the spirit of "handmade" and "original", I decided to mark our Second First-Kiss Anniversary with a skill I had yet to develop 365 days ago - COOKING. Not very creative? But I'm making a huge step by going JAPANESE!!! To show how serious I am about the idea, I bought a few Japanese dining wares, too.
What an experience shopping for Japanese ingredients. For example, there's Nori that I needed for sushi roll, not to be confused with Ao-Nori that's to be sprinkled on the Okonomiyaki. And there's also dashi that come with different packaging, forms, shapes, brands and flavours. What about Katsuoboshi and Katsuo? I also owe it to the Japanese housewife who kindly motioned me for Tonkatsu sauce as I was desperately looking for Okonomiyaki sauce.

I learned a very important lesson this afternoon as I was attending to the cauliflower - ALWAYS wash your vegetables. There was a worm on one of the florets. I got freaked out at first and relieved after - I knew people at Fuji didn't lie and sell me non-organic cauliflower. The worm can testify to the non-usage of insecticide.

And so to display my love for the man whom I co-habit with, I made for him Chawan Mushi, Cauliflower and Quinoa Sushi Roll, Osaka-style Okonomiyaki and a non-Japanese inspired Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake. In return, he got for me a wristlet that is ABSOLUTELY me and his happy face.