Sushi rolls to a different beat

Sourcing sushi-grade tuna is expensive, inconsistent and unsustainable, says Jeremy Moser, chef de cuisine at Bursley Hall at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In search of a more realistic solution for the dining hall’s scratch-made sushi rolls, he took a new look at the abundance of beets in the kitchen, which already were being used for sliders, salads and a multitude of recipes.

“The beets have the color and texture of tuna, so I asked our sushi cook on staff to try them in a roll in place of raw tuna,” Moser says. For the fall 2017 semester, the mock tuna rolls are among the 300 maki and other sushi served on weekdays at Bursley’s Asian station. Next, Moser wants to try nigiri sushi featuring a slice of poached beet on top of a rice mound. 

Read on to see how his team makes the mock rolls.

Moser sources fresh beets, and the kitchen staff peels and trims them prior to cooking. The whole beets are poached in simmering water until tender, then cut into rectangular strips. 

UM’s sushi cook no longer has to hand-press the rice onto the mat before rolling; a new piece of equipment takes care of that step, says Moser. A toasted nori sheet goes over the rice, followed by the poached beets, pieces of carrot and cucumber, and strips of avocado. 

Cooks save the red-tinted beet poaching liquid to blend with mayonnaise and roasted garlic puree, an idea hatched by Chef Assistant David Pawlowski. Some mayo is also mixed with wasabi. The pink mayo is piped over the beet rolls for serving, while the wasabi mixture is drizzled on the plate.