Think making sushi at home is hard? Think again – these Sushi with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Avocado and Cardamom Millet Rice are super easy and super delicious.
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So, if I had to choose five things to be stuck on a desert island with.

A lifetime supply of sushi (with an accompanying surfeit of soy sauce and pickled ginger) would be top three.

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Surprising, for a self-proclaimed vegetarian, but if we’re being honest, I occasionally get a craving for a good spicy salmon roll.

And when that happens.  I eat it. GASP.

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I’m sure I could get persecuted for that in some social circles, but you guys will forgive me, right?  I just don’t see the point in not eating something that you like or really want, all for the sake of some dietary label.

I don’t want/crave meat or 99.9% of fish/shellfish/crustaceans, so I don’t eat them.

Except for those times when a piece of raw fish (okay, really just salmon. love that healthy fat) creamed together with spicy mayo and perhaps even some panko for added crunch feels like it’s going to save my life or at least make my day better.  Then, all bets are off.

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Most of the time when I crave sushi, however, it’s all about the sweet potato tempura roll. It’s sweet and salty (after a good dunk in some soy sauce) and crispy (from the deep frying. which I choose to forget ever occurred) and pretty much all that is right in this world.

Unfortunately, sheer food perfection comes at an unruly cost.  Literally.  Especially when you’re really just paying for rice and potato, which are two of the least expensive ingredients on this earth.

So rather than spend all of my income at the Japanese place across the street, this weekend I took it upon myself to make sushi at home.  And because I can’t leave well enough alone, I added an Indian flavor twist in the form of cardamom-infused rice (okay, a rice/millet blend) and curry-roasted sweet potatoes.  Yes, it was as good as it sounds.  The.Boy. seriously proclaimed it as the best sushi he’s ever had and one of the best things I’ve ever made.

Now I know what you’re thinking, and NO sushi-making at home is not that.hard.  It’s actually absurdly easy.  All you have to do is make rice, prep your veggies/fish, pick up some nori (I got mine at Whole Foods…on sale!) and roll away. And all of a sudden you can have your own lifetime supply of sushi. No desert isle exile required.

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This is my submission to the It’s Easy Being Green recipe contest being held over at MarxFoods!  They sent me a variety of green ingredients – bamboo rice, cardamom pods, dill pollen, green eston lentils, and mint herb crystals – two of which I was to include in this recipe.  That being said, even though I was sent these ingredients for free, my thoughts and opinions on them are my own!

One year ago…Chipotle Squash Salad with Jicama, Goat Cheese and Avocado
Three years ago…Cheesy Zucchini, Red Pepper and Barley Bake
Four years ago…Grilled Tomato, Pesto and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Sushi with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, and Cardamom Millet Rice {eat.live.be}
 
Think making sushi at home is hard? Think again - these Sushi with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Avocado and Cardamom Millet Rice are super easy and super delicious.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup bamboo rice
  • 1 cup millet
  • 4 cardamom pods, bruised
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • salt
  • 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 avocado, cut into thin slices
  • 6 nori sheets
Instructions
  1. Combine bamboo rice, millet, and cardamom pods in a medium pot. Add the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water has evaporated. Let sit with the heat off and the cover on for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
  2. Preheat oven to 400. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, curry powder, honey, and salt to taste. Toss with the sweet potatoes and then roast on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Toss with the bamboo rice/millet mix. Remove any cardamom pods from the rice.
  4. Place a sheet of nori on a bamboo rolling mat with a long side facing you. Moisten your fingers with water and then pick up a baseball-sized chunk of the rice. Place the rice on the nori, pushing it so that it covers the nori about ½ the way up the sheet. Make sure it covers all the sides and corners and really mush it down onto the seaweed.
  5. About an inch away from the bottom of the nori sheet, use your fingers to make an indentation in the rice across the width of the sheet. This is where you will put your filling! Add your filling into this indentation, making sure you are putting the same amount of filling across the whole thing..
  6. Use your fingers to hold the fillings in place and stick your thumbs under the bamboo mat.
  7. Continue to use your fingers to hold the fillings in place but now start trying to roll the rice on the nori that’s closest to you with your thumb. Try to make this as tight as possible so that the edge of rice you are turning meets the farther edge of the rice.
  8. Tighten the roll by pushing down trying to mold the roll into a cylinder.
  9. Unroll the sushi mat and using your fingers, tightly roll the roll the rest of the way until it is a cylinder.
  10. Using a clean, serrated knife, cut the sushi roll into pieces. I found it easiest to do this by breaking through the nori around half of the roll before really cutting through the roll. Be very gentle while doing this and be careful not to squeeze the roll or the insides will come out!
  11. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi.
Notes
An Eats Well With Others Original
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ¼ of recipe

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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83 Responses to Sushi with Curry-Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, and Cardamom Millet Rice {eat.live.be}

  1. Audra says:

    Ah no judgement here! I love a spicy salmon roll too! And I also adore a good crispy sweet potato roll!

    I’m scared of making my own sushi, but yours looks perfect!

  2. I usually stick to the fish rolls (love the spicy salmon roll, too), but it’s hard to resist a good sweet potato tempura roll! Love the Indian twist on this!

  3. You’re a pescatarian! Say it loud and proud! Ok… so I too am OBSESSED with sushi. Could eat it every day and never grow tired of it. I just love this combo you’ve created. I bet there’s some great texture in there.

    Also, just wanted to point out that if you were on an island, you’d most likely be able to find the most incredible fish in the water and then you’d have all the sashimi you could eat. Of course, you’d have to catch the fish, gut it, fillet it (probably with some hand-crafted knife you made from a stick and a sharp stone) and you wouldn’t have soy sauce either. So, maybe that’s not ideal.

  4. I hate to say it, but despite all the talk of ‘bacon’ being the gateway drug for vegetarians back to meat, far more vegetarians I know will eat sushi. As proof of that, I don’t really eat pork (I have eaten it since incorporating meat back into my diet but don’t really buy it–I eat mostly fish and chicken).

    I love the idea of making your own sushi because of the ability to incorporate ‘innovative’ ingredients–since sushi is already so Westernized anyway, the idea of ‘tradition’ seems a bit silly.

  5. I. LOVE. SUSHI. And I do love the vegetarian sushi rolls — especially the ones loaded with avocado. I’ve tried making sushi on my own, but they come out looking like sad, sad, blobs. Yours are gorgeous!

  6. Oh my goodness, your sushi looks fabulous! What great flavors. You cannot go wrong with sweet potatoes and avocado. We have made sushi at home a few times, and it’s so much fun! We def need to do it more often though.

  7. SallyBR says:

    I’ve never made sushi at home, but we love it! Usually we go for sushi once a week, and it’s true the price is a bit hard on the wallet.

    You did a great job, and I loved the idea of an Indian twist to the roll. Uniting the flavors of the world, one roll at a time! 😉

  8. Danielle says:

    I love your willingness to attempt anything in the kitchen. From your gorgeous layer cakes to these sushi rolls – Im inspired to maybe give it a try.

  9. Sushi; typical Japanese cuisine.
    I’m also a very favorite food is one of the Japanese.
    Kurukuru Sushi to go once a week with my wife.
    February 3 in Japan, is the anniversary of one book (do not cut) to eat sushi.

  10. Laura says:

    This looks incredible! We LOVE sushi at our house and I always put avocado in it. Sweet potatoes sounds like a lovely addition!

  11. Mary says:

    You are a winner in my book, Joanne. Your sushi looks scrumptious and would quickly disappear from my kitchen. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  12. I love that you eat a salmon roll every now and then 🙂 you are amazing and this is my kind of sushi roll!

  13. marie says:

    I am not a fan of raw fish sushi so this looks great. I’ve only ever eaten at a sushi place twice but I would more often if this was on the menu! Looks delicious as always!

  14. Amy says:

    Years ago (pre-Paul), while living in Minnesota (the first time), I lived close to a fabulous seafood restaurant supplier (lordy, I miss them), and they would prepare sushi grade fish for me…so I could host sushi parties. No lie. Miss that, too.

  15. Pam says:

    I just recently started eating sushi (I know, it took me long enough!). I have a feeling I would really REALLY dig this!

  16. Even though I don’t eat much sushi I feel like it would be so much fun to make. And sweet potato would make it so good!

  17. Natalie G says:

    So creative! I love veggie sushi but have never made my own, it scares me haha, one day I will attempt!

  18. Saguna says:

    I too consider sweet potato tempura rolls heavenly. And yes, usually WAY too pricey to justify ordering. They totally just target the vegetarians because it’s like one of the few things on the menu that’s completely veggie-based. I love spicy sushi too, and spicy tuna. That would be the desert isle of my dreams.

    P.S. Millet in sushi?! Insanely good idea…

  19. Sarah says:

    what a great idea, joanne!

  20. Beth says:

    This sounds so good. And that’s high praise indeed from The.Boy.

  21. Alisa says:

    Oh how I love creative sushi rolls like this one! Sweet potatoes are actually a sushi roll favorite in our house – your spin is great!

  22. Lovin’ the combo. I’ve used sprouted brown rice in my sushi but never millet. I like it! And the cardamom is brilliant.

  23. Pam says:

    Wow these sound good!

  24. Ok I confess I don’t each much sushi (mostly because raw fish isn’t my thing) but I can totally get behind this version. I’ve been missing out big time!

  25. Have you been told lately that you’re a genius? Because you are. Avocado and sweet potatoes is the best sushi idea I’ve ever seen. Sprinkle that with some gomasio and I’d be set!

  26. cardamom millet rice? love the thought of that. and this sushi, it sounds absolutely delicious!!

  27. This sushi is so freaking fun! I love this idea!

  28. Kalyn Denny says:

    Very fun idea. Sushi is my favorite food in the world and although the stick white rice is not diet-friendly for me, I eat it too!

  29. cindspectus says:

    I think the only reason I don’t crave non-vegetarian sushi is because I didn’t start eating sushi until I was already a vegetarian! So I’ve never had a California roll or any of those other delicious things, and I’ve never had a desire to try them.

    However, sweet potato is my FAVORITE sushi roll. I have only made sushi once (wow, was that for Valentines Day two years ago? Crazy!), so I think it’s time to make it again.

  30. I’ve made sushi at home exactly once, but now I’m inspired to do it again! The sweet potato with salmon sounds great, and I love a little avocado in the middle of a roll.

  31. Tempura sweet potato sounds so good to me right now! and the fact that you recreated your fave roll at home…even better!The thing that kills me about vegetarian or vegan rolls, is that they’re just as expensive as the ones with fish, i.e.a fresh vegan rice paper spring roll is just as much as ones with shrimp in it, or maybe 50 cents different. So rather than paying for cellphane and lettuce, I learned to make those. Sushi is next!

  32. Karis says:

    Many of your recent posts have inspired me to make things at home that I previously thought were too difficult. I’ve watched sushi made once, and while it didn’t seem overly hard to make, the girl making it lived in Japan for 25 out of 28 years of her life, so I figured she was just making it look easy due to her sushi skill level.

  33. OohLookBel says:

    I agree that DIY sushi rolls with your favourite ingredients is the way to go. These rolls look very professional – you should start your own little sushi bar =)

  34. I LOVE vegetarian sushi (more than the fish rolls, truly), and I’m totally crushing on the curry roasted sweet potatoes in these! YUM.

  35. These sound fantastic, sadly I cannot get most of those ingredients here 🙁 These are the only times I wished I lived closer to the city!

  36. Colynn O says:

    I’ve been meaning to make vegan sushi…this looks like the perfect excuse. PS: Spicy tuna is my vice, but these look way better.

  37. teresa says:

    okay, seriously, this looks amazing! i know what you mean about sushi. i think i might have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with it. i LOVE this sushi, the flavors sound incredible. way to go!

  38. Ashley says:

    This flavor combination sounds beyond amazing. And if I were stuck on a desert island with you, there would be giant clumps of sand that came out of nowhere but sand be damned…it wouldn’t ruin our dinner 😉

  39. Reeni Pisano says:

    What an exotic twist on sushi! A delicious reinvention! I’m not much of a sushi eater but I wouldn’t hesitate for even a second if you put this in front of me!

  40. Jenn Kendall says:

    this is sooooo creative Joanne! looks super delicious!

  41. there is a pineapple maki at my sushi joint that makes me go crazy craving it every single weekend.
    you would love it
    i’m sure you saw all my instagram’s on it
    so i love what you’ve done here–nice twist

  42. a) I’m SO with you on the if-you-crave-it-then-have-it train. There’s ideals and then there’s plain restriction, and it’s a fine but significant line between the two.

    b) Indian spices to your sushi? As an Indian, largely vegetarian sushi-lover, I applaud you.

    You should compile a cookbook. Jussayin.

  43. Blond Duck says:

    I’ve been craving avacado lately!

  44. Oh my gosh, I would be so proud of myself if I even made one of those components, I can’t imagine making all of it and forming it into perfect looking sushi! Looks amazing!

  45. Candace says:

    I am crazy about sweet potato rolls…..and spicy salmon rolls….and spicy tuna rolls….and my most favorite Louisiana Roll which has thin pieces of fried catfish on top. ~sigh~ I love what you did with the ingredients of your rolls. I know they must have tasted delicious!

  46. So impressed by your sushi rolling skills! And what a tasty combo, I might add. I still haven’t gotten the nerve up to try my hand at sushi. I think I could handle assembling it, but there are so many parts to make ahead of time…i just don’t know if I have the patience. Looks like yours was worth the trouble though! Also, way to go on combatting these ridiculous city prices 😉

  47. Hotly Spiced says:

    Your sushi looks great and very colourful. I haven’t tried making it yet but every time I go past ‘that’ section of the supermarket I am tempted to try xx

  48. That Girl says:

    These are beautiful. My sushi is always a mess.

  49. How fun and what interesting flavors Joanne!

  50. Ah yes sushi! My reason for being! Will def try this, looks excellent!

  51. just stumbled upon your blog today. The sushi looks fantastic! who said that vegetarian sushi is always boring. Love the curry flavored sushi idea! Thanks for sharing!

  52. Kari says:

    You have no idea how much I like that you eat smoked salmon on occasion. You also have no idea how much I like the look of this sushi (actually you might have some idea, because I’m guessing you like it a whole lot too). Seriously, this is like the sushi I’ve been dreaming of but wasn’t clued in enough to actually dream up!

  53. Lynn says:

    I like the thought of this. I actually have a sushi mat – I took a class once.

  54. Where did you get all the creative and healthy ideas!
    Curry-roasted sweet potatoes…this is definitely a must try!

  55. Barbara says:

    Yummy! Those look fabulous, Joanne. My favorite is soft shelled crab rolls.

  56. daphne says:

    I’m a fan of making sushi at home too. What got my attention is the kind of millet and rice! and roasted sweet potato! oooo My kind of food and texture!

  57. Yep, I was the same way when I was veg! Except I didn’t own it like you and would end up scarfing secret bacon cheeseburgers in alleys (uh yeah, not cute), which is why I eventually ended up dropping the label, even though I still eat mostly meatless. Anyway, I’d love to know more about when/why you went veg (maybe you wrote about it before I started following?). Your *~FuSiOn SuShi~* looks great!

  58. Abby says:

    you may have just created my new addiction! haha my guy and i go on sushi dates almost every friday, we should definitely try making our own.

  59. Tandy says:

    Good for you to listen to your body! Personally raw tuna is my favourite sushi fish 🙂

  60. You don’t give yourself enough credit. Making sushi that looks that perfect and good? It’s not that easy — I mean the nuts and bolts are, but the actual getting it to look like that in a neat, compact roll? Challenging. You’ve got some mad skillz there, girlie.

  61. Katie says:

    This sushi looks amazing! I’ve made sushi before and its difficult. you did a fabulous job!!!

  62. Eileen says:

    Well, who wouldn’t want a spicy salmon roll? SO much better than spicy tuna rolls. The sweet potato tempura roll is definitely up in the top ten too! I’ve never made sushi at home, but it’s on the list to try for 2013…especially if I can use roasted sweet potato instead of actually deep-frying. 🙂 Sounds so good!

  63. I think I’m one of the few people that don’t go wild over sushi but your version may convert me. It sounds delicious.

  64. Geni says:

    In love with this sweet potato roll. Love. I have never had anything like it and really am going to search my favorite sushi restaurant for something similar. Someday will venture to make it on my own with you as my guide. Thanks Joanne! 🙂

  65. Gloria says:

    I never made sushi but yours look beautiful Joanne!

  66. Katie says:

    I love the idea of incorporating some millet into the sushi rice. What a cool idea! I think if I could only take five things to a desert island, two would have to be chocolate and peanut butter. After a few weeks, I’d be jealous of the person who brought sushi, I’m afraid!

  67. Emily says:

    I love it! This would be my favorite sushi ever. I love sweet potato!

  68. kale says:

    so pretty! i love the idea of incorporating soul-food items into something like sushi, very unique!

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  70. Sweet potato tempera roll? Where has that been all my life?!

    This sushi is also amazing. And they’re so perfectly made too. My sushi would come out like a truck ran over it.

  71. P says:

    Sushi and sweet potatoes?! You are a culinary GENIUS, obviously :)!

  72. Cara says:

    While I’m relishing the fact that I’ll get to eat real, raw sushi in a few weeks (eeek!) I would still welcome one of these anytime 🙂

  73. Sushi cravings hits me every now and then and must be satisfied right away, totally get it! Definitely going to try making it at home, great idea using sweet potatoes with avocado

  74. Chris says:

    Impressive, it looks like real sushi except for the fact I would actually eat yours. I can’t do real sushi

  75. This looks AMAZING. Definitely need to try this one!

  76. Gwen says:

    I would totally be a vegetarian if it weren’t for sushi! Especially spicy salmon rolls.

  77. Johanna GGG says:

    I never missed fish but I went veg before I had ever tasted sushi so never had the chance to eat raw salmon – oh and a friend got salmon food poisoning just before I went veg so never really desired it. But I would love your sushi – we don’t get sweet potato filling in ours in Melbourne – wish we did!

  78. Gorgeous! These came out great. I’m not vegetarian but, ironically, stick to vegetarian sushi only. Raw fish doesn’t do it for me but curry roast sweet potato sushi would!

  79. Donna Currie says:

    Sushi is always so pretty! Nice job, and good use of that crazy basket!

  80. Thats makes me feel bettee that you eat sushi once in a blue moon. We have been vego (well pesco) for about 6 months now and I thought about going full vego but I’m not sure. Some people out there are do or die and that just isnt for me I think. p.s. the rools look freakin awesome!

  81. Dana says:

    Just a small tip, if you want to save money on materials(i.e. nori, rice, produce, vinegar, etc) Asian markets are MUCH cheaper in regard to cost. Whole Foods sells higher quality sushi grade seafood for sure, but I was just looking to help you save a little. Your recipe looks absolutely delicious by the way and I’m stoked to test it out! 🙂

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