Watermelon Sushi Rolls

As some of you may know we have a couple of watermelon recipes here on the site. Dehydrated, watermelon takes on a completely different texture. Somewhat reminiscent of raw tuna, it lends itself to the perfect substitute for raw fish. I made sashimi Watermelon Sashimi & Forbidden Rice and regularly make poke bowls, but this is the first time I attempted to make sushi rolls.

I’m not going to lie, this is not the easiest thing to do. Not that making sushi rolls are hard; they aren’t. The difficulty lies in using the raw Forbidden Rice and keeping it in the nori wrapper. Unlike sushi rice, which is sticky (glutinous), Forbidden Rice is loose. This makes it more difficult to actually roll. Also, we use raw nori paper, so it’s harder to slice through than it’s toasted cousin. A super sharp knife definitely helps.

I recommend making the pickled ginger and pickled carrots at least a week before. I make a huge batch of the picked ginger and keep it around. In a glass jar it keeps for quite a long time. You can soak the Forbidden Rice a day or two before, if your home is warm it will soften quicker than if your home is cold. I did try adding vinegar to the rice as if I was making regular sushi rice, but apple cider vinegar gave it an aftertaste I could do without.

With all this aside, I highly recommend you make the sushi rolls. It’s among my all time favorite raw-vegan meals and satisfies that sushi craving without sacrificing flavor or a little (big) fish.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Watermelon Sushi Rolls

Preparing the Rice

1 cup Forbidden Rice

2 cups filtered water

Rinse the rice at least twice in filtered water, then soak on the countertop for 6 hours, rinse and repeat. If the rice has not split open (you will visually see the difference), repeat this the second day. Once the rice has opened you can keep in the refrigerator until needed for a couple of days. *if the rice has not opened by day 2, you did not get Forbidden Rice, this is the only rice you can eat raw.

Pickled Carrots

1 large carrot

1 cup ume vinegar

Cut carrots in small pieces and soak them in vinegar for a week in a glass jar on the counter. Refrigerate after that, it will keep for some time.

Pickled Ginger

A large piece of ginger (peeled and sliced thin)

1 1/2 tsp raw sugar

1 tsp Kosher salt

Apple cider vinegar (enough to cover the ginger)

In a glass jar add all the ingredients and shake well. Place on counter shaking once a day for at least a week. 2 weeks they’re perfect. Will last a long time stored in the refrigerator.

Wasabi

If you can find fresh root, peel and grate. This can be mild or very hot, depending on the freshness of the root. The flavor is not consistent.

You can also buy this in powder form, which is what I did since I could not find the root. Or you can get it premade, but they usually have sugar added.

Dehydrated Watermelon

Deseed and cut watermelon into 4″ by 2″ squares about an inch thick. Place in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 8-10 hours. Should have the consistency of raw tuna steak when ready,

Watermelon Sushi Rolls Assembly

1 watermelon steak sliced long and thin

1 sheet of untoasted nori wrapper

Forbidden Rice

pickled carrots

sliced avocado

sliced cucumber

pickled ginger

wasabi

nama shoyu

I used a bamboo placemat covered in parchment paper. You can use anything that is stiff enough that you can roll. It is a lot easier if you cover it in saran wrap…like a lot easier. You can also use one of the sheets from your dehydrator. It just needs to be stiff, bend easily and be food safe. *There are mats and blocks made specifically for this, if you have them, great.

Lay nori paper flat on whatever you’re using to roll your sushi. Add rice all the way across and half way up the paper. Layer watermelon, avocado, cucumber, carrots toward the beginning of the wrapper, but not too close to the edge. Slowly fold the wrapper, rolling the paper until it reaches the edge of the rice. Check that you are not rolling your mat and only rolling the food. Continue rolling while squeezing the food together. When you get to the end of the nori wrapper, wet the edge with filtered water and close. With a super sharp knife, cut into pieces. This is the hardest part. Be patient and make sure you cut through the bottom layer.

Serve with nama shoyu, fresh wasabi and pickled ginger.