Sweet Black Rice Nori Rolls

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I was thinking one day that black rice was just as sticky as sushi or short grain brown rice, so thought I'd try a colorful, non-traditional option for a sweet dessert nori roll.

Ingredients

1 cup black sticky rice/Forbidden black rice

1-2 tsp good balsamic vinegar or 1 T rice vinegar

1/4 cup cashews

fruit such as banana, strawberries, mango, peach, pear

4 sheets nori

Sauce:

1/4-1/3 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango

1-2 tsp agave nectar (optional)

Preparation

Soak the rice for 4-8 hours. Rinse and drain. Bring the rice to boil in 2 cups of water, lower the temperature to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.

When the rice is done, add the vinegar and stir it in while it is warm. Set it aside to cool.

Slice the fruit into long, thin strips.

Chop the cashews into small pieces.

Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap.

Blend the coconut milk and mango in the blender until smooth. Taste and add agave to taste.

Fill a bowl with waterl. Place 1 sheet of nori on the bamboo mat , shiny side down. Wet your hands and scoop out about a tennis ball sized handful of rice. Place it on the nori and spread it out. Leave about 1/2 inch of the bottom of the nori rice-free. Make sure it’s evenly spread.

Scoot the nori/rice over to the side and spread 1/4 of the cashews out on the mat. Turn the nori over so that the rice is on the bottom and place on top of the cashews.

Put strips of fruit horizontally across the nori. It can go a little beyond the edge of the nori.

Then, starting with the lower right corner of the roll, begin rolling. Use the mat to help hold it together. Press gently but firmly with your fingers and mat to capture the fruit in the center. When you're near the top edge, wet the nori so that it seals - but the rice is usually damp enough to create a seal. If you put too much fruit in the center it’s very hard to close them up!

Once it seals, move the roll over to one side of the bamboo mat, wrap the mat around it and then gently press the excess fruit back into the roll. Do on both sides.

Unroll the mat and check your work! It should be evenly rolled and covered in cashews (they will have been pressed in while you roll it up)

Now it’s time to cut the roll. Take a sharp knife and wipe it clean with the damp kitchen towel. Slice the roll in half. Move the rolls in line with each other and slice three more time – you’ll have 8 bite-size rolls when you’re done. Wipe the knife between each cut. Try to cut the roll in 1-2 quick swipes of the knife.

Place the rolls on a platter. Garnish with extra fruit and cashews. Drizzle a little sauce over the top, put more in little soy sauce dishes and dive in!

Recipe by
Karna Knapp