Many people think that sushi is healthy, but that doesn’t always have to be true. A lot of sushi is made unhealthy by the amount of salt and sugar that has been added. In addition, they sometimes contain a lot of mayonnaise or are fried. Fortunately, making healthy sushi is possible with the right recipes.
History
Sushi originated to preserve fish. Mixing the fish with fermented rice also made the fish sour and kept it longer. When this method came to Japan, the Japanese devised to eat the rice before the fish was fermented. This became a popular dish and the Japanese started to make it with fresh ingredients. Instead of fermented rice, she mixed rice vinegar into the rice: the sushi was created. It grew into a delicacy and slowly spread around the world.
Sushi healthy?
Sushi is a small dish that can consist of all kinds of ingredients. This means that there are healthy and unhealthy sushi. The traditional sushi consists of rice, seaweed-based nori and raw fish. This combination can be called healthy. Seaweed is rich in iodine, iron, lime, vitamins and minerals. Seaweed also lowers blood pressure and promotes healthy digestion. The fish is also very healthy. Fish supplies include vitamin B12 and the minerals iodine, phosphorus and selenium. It is a source of Vitamin B6. The fatty fish, which is often used in sushi, is rich in vitamins D and B2 and contains vitamin A. Vitamin D is good for bone building. Eating fatty fish is especially important because of the fish fatty acids. These help keep heart and blood vessels healthy.
The white rice, which is often sweetened with sugar, is less healthy. It is low in fiber and contains fast carbohydrates that your body quickly converts to sugar. Sugar is bad for the teeth and makes blood sugar rise too quickly. Sugar does not contain any valuable nutrients and therefore provides ’empty’ calories. In addition to the traditional sushi, there are many other types. Some prepared with vegetables or eggs are reasonably healthy. Others, usually the more popular ones, are less healthy. These are prepared with mayonnaise or fried. The Japanese soy sauce is often too salty and the wasabi that is served with the sushi is often full of bad coloring. Sushi can be prepared healthy by using healthy ingredients. Below are a number of healthy sushi recipes.
Alternative sushi recipes
- Quinoa sushi
- Red sushi
- Temaki sushi with salmon
Quinoa sushi
The South American quinoa is somewhat like couscous, but it is a seed instead of a grain. Quinoa is a source of protein and the minerals copper and magnesium. Furthermore, quinoa contains fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E and iron. Due to the popularity of quinoa, prices have risen sharply in recent years. That does not alter the fact that it is a healthy version of the white sushi rice. The wasabi has been replaced by horseradish in this recipe.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of quinoa
- 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 4 nori sheets
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cucumber
- 100 grams of Dutch shrimps
- Horseradish and ginger
Preparation method
- Boil the quinoa in about 200 ml water for twelve minutes.
- Let the quinoa cool for ten minutes with the lid on the pan.
- Mix the rice vinegar with the quinoa and let it cool.
- Place a nori sheet on a sushi mat.
- Divide the quinoa over the nori.
- Cut the cucumber and avocado into strips.
- Place a few strips of avocado, cucumber and Dutch shrimps in a horizontal line on the quinoa and roll up the sushi.
- Do the same for the other three sushi rolls.
- Cut the rolls into equal pieces.
- Serve with some horseradish and grated ginger.
Red sushi
In this recipe, the white sushi rice has been replaced by red rice. In contrast to white rice, red rice still contains the skin. Red rice is therefore comparable to brown rice, it still contains all the valuable nutritional value. It has a nutty flavor and combines well with this vegetable sushi. The red rice will become sticky by boiling it just a little longer in plenty of water.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of red rice
- 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 4 nori sheets
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 spring onions
- 1 egg
- chives
- olive oil
- Horseradish and ginger
Preparation method
- Soak the red rice in 300 ml of water for about an hour.
- Cook the red rice for twenty-five minutes.
- Let the rice cool for 15 minutes with the lid on the pan.
- In the meantime, cut the cucumber, spring onion and carrot into strips. Finely chop the chives.
- Break an egg into a bowl and stir together with the chives, salt and pepper.
- heat some olive oil in the pan and fry an omelet from the egg.
- Mix the rice vinegar with the rice and let it cool down.
- Place a nori sheet on a sushi mat.
- Divide the rice over the nori.
- Place a few strips of carrot, spring onion, cucumber and omelette in a horizontal line on the rice and roll up the sushi.
- Do the same for the other three sushi rolls.
- Cut the rolls into equal pieces.
- Serve with some horseradish and grated ginger.
Temaki sushi with salmon
A temaki sushi is also called a hand roll. It is a point shaped sushi filled with rice and other ingredients. This sushi contains raw salmon that is healthy for its vitamin D and healthy fatty acids. Because the fish is not heated, it does not lose any valuable vitamin D. A hand roll contains about 25 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin D.
Ingredients
- 100 grams of red rice
- 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 4 nori sheets
- 200 grams of salmon
- 1 avocado
- Horseradish and ginger
Preparation method
- Soak the red rice in 300 ml of water for about an hour.
- Cook the red rice for twenty-five minutes.
- Let the rice cool for 15 minutes with the lid on the pan.
- Mix the rice vinegar with the rice and let it cool down.
- Cut the salmon and avocado into strips.
- Cut the nori sheets in half and divide the rice over the nori.
- Place a few strips of salmon and avocado in a vertical line on the rice and roll the sushi up in a cone.
- Do the same for the other seven temaki sushi.
- Serve with some horseradish and grated ginger.
