Simanim Sushi

On my recent trip to Israel I was looking for the most creative, delicious, and Rosh Hashanah worthy new recipe.  I wanted it to include most, if not all of the Rosh Hashanah Simanim (symbolic or signs foods).  It was a challenge to find something completely new.  There are a lot of Rosh Hashanah recipes on Kosher Everyday, and many that include simanim for your Rosh Hashanah table.    While getting a much appreciated ride from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem, our very very Dear Friends (family by choice) Rachel & Danny recommended something they had seen a while back:  Simanim Sushi!

 

Rachel promptly searched for the origin of the idea and found it from an event she went to from the OU.  The original recipe, from Margot Botwinick, gives a basic idea of making Simanim Sushi with the rice recipe and ideas for fillings.  You can find it here.

What are the Simanim that I was using and what do they represent?

At the Rosh Hashanah night meals, we eat symbolic foods that are meant to “bless” the upcoming New Year.  Here are the ones I used in the Simanim Sushi recipe.  

 

Developing the Simanim Sushi Recipe

Taking the original concept and expanding it was loads of fun.  Using the symbolic simanim ingredients and making them into something incredible is my idea of the perfect challenge.

 

I started with my basic sushi rice recipe, rice/rice vinegar/sugar, used different colored sushi rice for color pop and interest, and figured out ways to incorporate the simanim ingredients into the filling.

DISCLAIMER: I am not the best sushi maker in the world by far.  It’s a skill I’m currently working on, so if some of the sushi in these photos are better formed than others, it’s to make everyone feel way better about their own sushi making skills. 

You’re welcome.

The Simanim Sushi Wrappers

I used a variety of different sushi wrappers in these recipes, always keeping the rice on the outside.  For some I used traditional white rice sushi wrappers and nori.  When I was in Israel I found the coolest sushi wrappers ever.  They came in different colors, with the coloring made from natural ingredients.  For the Beet Simanim Sushi I used the red sushi wrapper as it was actually colored with beets.  

Super cool!

However… I did try to do some research and wasn’t able to find them in the US.  If you do see them please let me know and I’ll let people know where to find them.  You can always use traditional round/square rice paper to make this sushi.

Leek and Carrot Simanim Sushi

Simanim:  Leek and Carrot

 

The Leek and Carrot Sushi includes sauteed leeks and shredded carrots, white seasoned sushi rice, rolled in everything spice.  YUM!!!  It takes two of the Rosh Hashanah Simanim and makes them into the most delicious sushi ever!

Honeynut Squash, Pistachio and Pomegranate Sushi

Simanim: “Honey”, Squash, Pomegranate

 

For this recipe I used green bamboo sushi rice as well as roasted Honeynut Squash.  I found the Honeynut Squash at Whole Foods but you can find them this time of year in local grocery stores and produce markets.  They are super sweet, mouthwatering, and taste like honey.  You can even eat the peel on these little guys once they’re roasted, but I removed the peel for this recipe.

For the rest of the filling I added crunchy chopped pistachios to the center, and rolled the finished sushi roll in additional chopped pistachios.  If you are one of the people that does not eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah, you can easily switch to pistachios to pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) and they will work just as well.

You can also interchange the pomegranate arils for dried cranberries which are also excellent in this recipe.

Date and Sesame Simanim Sushi

Of all the new Simanim Sushi’s this is absolutely one of my favorites. It combines the sweetness of dates with the nutty flavor of sesame seeds, with slice fresh Medjool dates and sesame seeds as the filling, traditional sushi rice, rolled in (toasted) sesame seeds.  The best way to eat these is to dip them in a little toasted sesame oil for maximum flavor.

Beet Simanim Sushi

This one is fairly simple!  I cooked some beets, peeled them, then cut them into thin strips, sprinkling a little dried orange zest over the beets.  I used the red sushi wrap (you can use plain), and rolled it up.  Then I rolled the entire uncut sushi roll in dried orange zest which added a lot of freshness to the roll.

 

I made sure to thoroughly dry the beets as much as possible before slicing and adding them so they wouldn’t bleed red all over the sushi roll.  It worked fairly well with minimal bleeding.

Smoked Salmon and Carrot Simanim Sushi

One of my absolute best-loved way to make sushi is with smoked salmon as the protein.  It’s more readily available than kosher mock crab, and it gives the sushi this awesome smokey, fishy flavor.  Smoked salmon pairs very will with carrots and I added a little avocado to balance the smoked salmon.

 

Additionally, to contrast the colors I used Forbidden Rice, which is a beautiful purple sushi rice.  The combined colors make a gorgeous sushi roll.  I like to pair the Smoked Salmon and Carrot Simanim Sushi with spicy mayo.  You can even add some of the spicy mayo to the filling when you’re rolling up the sushi!

Finally…

I made all the sushi rolls, wrapped them in plastic, put them on a baking sheet and refrigerated them overnight.  You could “theoretically” make these even two days in advance – more for any of them except the Smoked Salmon and Carrot Simanim Sushi.

Wait until you’re about to be ready to serve, to slice the sushi into individual pieces.  You can slice them a few hours in advance and store them covered in the refrigerator.

Here’s the Recipe for Simanim Sushi

The recipe for Simanim Sushi makes around three rolls of a specific type per recipe.  For example, one sushi rice recipe will make approximately three medium width rolls, and each filling recipe will fill those three rolls.  If you are interested in making multiple types of Simanim Sushi you must adjust the filling amount to accommodate that change.

 

You can also fill the Simanim Sushi with mock crab (fish!), sautéed apples in honey (apples & honey!), or fish heads (just kidding!!!).  The recipes for Simanim Sushi below are tried and true, so take a crack at making your own Simanim Sushi.  Remember:

 

No matter how they look, they’re going to taste great!!!

 

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More Rosh Hashanah Recipes to Rave About

 

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