Recipe: Karen’s Favourite Nori Rolls
Post-Radio 4, it's not all bad, we did get a LOT of interest as a result, and here's just one example:
"I listened to the Food Programme on Radio 4 yesterday and would really love a recipe for your nori rolls!" - Janet
Ever-happy to oblige, here you go Janet and thanks for writing!
Karen’s Favourite Nori Rolls
This nori roll recipe is a sure-fire winner and a recipe that I could live on for days on end. This is the one that I made for Sheila on the Food Programme, which she loved - and the producer loved it too! In fact, I demo and serve these at all of my Raw Food for Beginners classes and I've never had a "yuck!" yet : ) Far from it in fact, these are Gorrrgeous!
The recipe below is one of my personal favourites, the avocado/ tomato/ onion/ green leafy/ herb combination is a great classic, whether it's in a wrap or a salad, and that's largely what makes this one so moreish.
That said, there are a million and one different combinations you could come up with. This is just my own personal favourite. To find a recipe that suits you, use your favourite raw ingredients as fillings and continue to experiment with new textures and flavours - think along the lines of the sweet, spicy, salty, butter, pungent - that is, satisfying the five tastes through using different ingredients, which I will write more about in the near future. And, for the decadently-inclined among you, an accompanying dip - runny and taste-bud tingling or thick, creamy and comforting, like macadamia or cashew cream. Clearly the possibilities are endless!
Makes 2 rolls.
* Ingredients available by mail order from The Fresh Network online shop.
Ingredients:
• 2 nori sheets *
• 1 large avocado
• 2 fresh tomatoes
• 1 small onion
• 10 black olives*, pitted OR 6 sundried tomatoes in oil
• Handful of coriander, sunflower greens, rocket or watercress
Directions:
Lay the nori sheet out flat on a plate or cutting board, shiny side down, and place strips of avocado along the near edge leaving about an inch in from the outside of the sheet and each end.
Next, lay on top of the avocado some strips of tomato followed by strips of onion then topped with halved olives or the sundried tomatoes.
Finally top it all off with your chosen greens.
Roll up, either by hand or using a sushi mat, cut into small bit-sized pieces or leave as is and enjoy!
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Top Tips:
Nori is a type of sea vegetable and is best known as the wrapping for sushi. "Nori sheets" are simply paper-like sheets made from nori which has been dried and pressed into neat squares measuring about 6" x 6". It can be purchased in supermarkets and health food shops very easily, but it is usually toasted. The raw variety is available if you look for it (read the packaging) and is darker than the toasted (surprisingly). The toasted is more green, the raw almost black with a purple tinge - i.e. the opposite to what you would expect. You can buy the raw nori online via The Fresh Network - 10 sheets for around £3.
Nutritionally-speaking, nori, and all other seaweed, is rich in calcium, zinc and iodine. It is also a good source of Lignans which help fight cancer. Nori (in particular) has been valued as a food of longevity by Japanese people for centuries. According to the earliest written records in 701 AD, nori was so valuable as to be one of the tributes in those days. Today, 1300 years later, nori has maintained its popularity as attested by the proverb, "Two sheets of nori keep the doctor away." Nori's reputation as a natural health food has been firmly established, and approximately 10 billion sheets are produced and consumed in Japan annually.
When making nori rolls, always be mindful of not filling them too much! Keep the "wide berth" 1" x 1" x 1" rule in mind when laying in your fillings, keeping them in from all 3 edges. Fillings have a tendency to expand and spurt upon wrapping causing an increased need for washing powder : ) Not a good look!
Sushi mats guarantee the best-looking nori rolls, as the mat ensures even rolling to perfection, but are by no means a necessity.
If you find your nori rolls are too dry or crispy, all you need is one or two juicy ingredients in there to help soften the roll. Fresh tomato is great for this, the juice seeps through all layers and makes the rolls much tastier as well as more succulent. Other good ones are sundried tomatoes in oil, which are not usually strictly raw, but do make a very yummy addition to nori rolls of all kinds.
If you'd like to properly 'seal' your rolls at the far end when you've finished rolling but find that it's just not having it, use a pastry brush dipped in water to run along the length of your roll. This will moisten the edge sufficiently to stick it without making it so wet that it falls apart.
And finally, whatever way you eat them - full length like hot dogs or sliced into small bite-sized portions, make 'em, try 'em, love 'em - they're delicious, beautiful and packed with nutrition.
These are delicious, easy and so pretty on the plate! Thank you!
Posted by: Krista | June 24, 2008 at 02:47 PM
Hi, my name is Annie and I have just turned seventeen.
I'm going to do this recipe tomorrow, it just sounds so delicious! I'm vegan but I'm trying to incorporate as many raw foods in my diet as possible.
I'm going to make them for my mom, sadly she is an omnivore, but I'm trying to introduce her to the delicious world of healthy foods.
I know, strange, instead of mother to daughter, is daughter to mother. Hahaha...
Anyways, thanks for the recipe. I love your videos in Youtube.
Oh, I tried the green juice, It's delicious and it really gives me that boost of energy before going to high school.
Thanks again, you are an inspiration.
From Karen: Thank you for writing Annie! it is so good to hear about how you're already taking healthy eating on at your age : ) Keep on keeping on and I know exactly what you mean about the daughter/ mother thing!
Posted by: Annie | June 02, 2008 at 04:25 AM