California Sushi Rolls and Tuna and Salmon Sushi

If you love football as much as my husband Lulu does, and also happen to be a 49ers fan, you were probably frantically jumping up and down and screaming for joy as they made it to the Super Bowl last week. Lulu has been looking forward to this since they lost in overtime in last year's NFC Championship game. To be honest, I have no clue what any of those words mean, but I've heard Lulu say them on several occasions.

What I do know is food and I've concocted a week's worth of  recipe ideas in honor of the Superbowl and the San Franciso 49ers. I may not know a first down from a field goal, but preparing fun party food for friends and family is a great way for me to get involved.

To kickoff our week of SF-friendly Super Bowl foods, here's a combination of California rolls (avocado crab cucumber) and tuna (freshly caught by our neighbor Tom) and salmon sushi. It's super easy; all you need is fresh ingredients and ready-cooked sushi rice. You can make several rolls in advance, and cut them throughout the party as your guests work their way through them. The other nice thing about sushi as party food is that you can easily make different fillings depending on you and your guests' preferences and dietary restrictions.

Caterpillar Roll (Avocado Sushi Recipe)

Lulu and I recently went to a Japanese sushi bar and enjoyed platters of delicious rolls. When I came home, I was determined to serve the same gorgeous-looking sushi for the family. I reinterpreted the caterpillar sushi with a combination of hoisin sauce and kaffir lime sauce. The caterpillar outer layer is imitated with thinly sliced avocados. Unlike most of the "fancy" sushi rolls you'll find at restaurants, this one's vegetarian.

I have to admit I was very proud of how they turned out. And to my surprise, it wasn't that complicated. Sometimes, improvisation ends up with beautiful results!

Don't forget to enter your name and email address to be able to participate in my Haute Potato Cookbook contest. I will pick one winner next Monday. And if you already have a copy, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review on Amazon. Thank you!

Mock Fish Recipe: Pan Fried Seaweed Tofu

Cá chiên chay (vegetarian fried fish in Vietnamese) is my attempt to eat approximately the same dish as my vegetarian husband, Lulu. It doesn't bother him so much, but it makes me a little sad that even when we share a meal, we're not actually eating the same thing. I cooked fish for myself today, and I whipped up a mock fish equivalent dish using tofu skin, crumbled tofu and seaweed to go alongside it. The result was surprisingly delicious. Lulu enjoyed his vegetarian meal and I enjoyed my fish as well.

I paired the "fish" with jasmine rice and canh mồng tơi (broth with leafy greens). The meal remained healthy yet very tasty.

Octopus Sushi (Cooked Sushi Recipe)

We've been setting up my little sis-in-law’s school lunch menu as she's about to enter 1^st grade tomorrow. She participated in the entire process. The little munchkin mentioned that she loves sushi and wanted to have some for lunch this school year. It's a fast and easy way for her to have a quick lunch, so I was happy to oblige. She also mentioned she loves baby octopus but she doesn't want to scare her friends away with weird food so I coarsely chopped them and used them as the filling along with other vegetables. I cooked each ingredient separately, let them cool completely and then combined then into sushi rolls. The sushi got an “A” from my sis-in-law, so I'll definitely be packing them for her this school year.

Involving children in preparing their own food encourages them to eat with more enthusiasm. Cooking in a fun environment is also a way to learn. If your kids aren’t adventurous enough for octopus, you can try some of my other school lunch recipe ideas.

Vegetarian Fish in Nori Rolls (Ca Keo Chay)

This dish is a vegetarian version of the Vietnamese dish called "cá kho tộ", which is braised fish simmered in caramel sauce. Instead of using cá kèo (a dark-scaled small fish that is very popular in Saigonese cuisine), I stuffed tofu in nori sheets to resemble the look and taste of seafood. Once wrapped, the nori rolls are simmered in a sauce made of coconut and soy sauce. Even though the real fish dish is cooked in a claypot to perfectly sear the fish, for the vegetarian equivalent I don’t think it’s necessary. I used a  regular  deep non-stick pan.

I served the vegetarian fish with thin vermicelli noodles and a banana blossom salad. The more authentic version calls for rau răm, which is a Vietnamese aromatic herb that is an acquired taste for those who are not familiar with it. My husband Lulu is not a big fan, so I garnished it with African basil from the garden. 

If you're planning to cook for vegetarians, this meal is perfect; the texture of firm tofu resembles fish without its strong aroma. If you like this recipe, you'll be happy to know that there are a lot of similar vegetarian equivalents to traditional Vietnamese dishes that have been developed for the Buddhist vegetarian diet. I'll post more recipes resembling seafood such as shrimp and other fish dishes soon.

Sorry for not posting yesterday'; our internet was down .