A Simple Brown Rice Sushi Bowl
This sushi bowl recipe is simply a de-constructed sushi roll - brown rice, tofu, avocado, toasted nori and green onions served with a simple citrus-soy dressing. Simple and delicious.
I first published this recipe in 2007, on page 156 in Super Natural Cooking - the Sushi Bowl. Looking back at the recipes included in that book, this is one that has remained a personal favorite of mine (top five for sure), and from what many of you have told me, it has long been a favorite for many of you as well. Simply stated, we are talking about a de-constructed sushi roll - brown rice, tofu, avocado, toasted nori and green onions served with a tangy, sweet citrus-soy dressing. When I don't have toasted nori on hand, I swap in a handful of crushed kale chips. 
The Citrus Dressing
This dressing rules. You do a quick simmer of a bit orange and lemon juice, and then season it with a bit of brown sugar and rice vinegar. I wrote the recipe calling for orange and lemon, but I often make the dressing with grapefruit or blood orange juice, and it is exceptionally good - puckery citrus sweetness coating the grains of rice throughout each sushi bowl.
So! If you love avocado rolls, this is a tricked out version, in bowl form. So simple, especially if you have cooked brown rice at the ready. This is the sushi bowl from lunch today, made with kale chips in place of toasted nori. If you have guacamole on hand, by all means use that in place of the avocado. Keep it casual & tasty!
Sushi Bowl-ing
When I originally wrote this recipe, it was conceived as a lazy day way to enjoy my favorite sushi roll ingredients. In an attempt to pre-empt comments related to sushi & bowls, I'll leave you with this. I think there is occasional confusion with the idea of a sushi bowl, because the perception is that sushi is the roll itself. But, as Haruhiko mentions in the comments down below, “Sushi is a term that technically refers to the seasoned rice itself. There’s makizushi, inarizushi, chiraishizushi, etc., and what they have in common is the seasoned rice. You don’t need raw fish for sushi to be sushi." xo Haruhiko! Hope this helps!
More Rice Recipes
- Green Rice
- Citrus Rice
- Kale Rice Bowl
- Sesame Coconut Rice
- Vegetarian Paella
- Rice Salad
- Rice Pilaf
- all rice recipes
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A Simple, Brown Rice Sushi Bowl
I've included the instructions for cooking brown rice here, but when I'm pinched for time I just grab for frozen, pre-cooked brown rice (freeze it yourself, or look for it in the freezer section at Whole Foods).
- 2 (4-inch) square sheets nori seaweed
- 6 ounces extra-firm tofu
- grated zest and juice of one orange
- grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons (raw) brown sugar (reg. sugar is ok too)
- 2 tablespoons shoyu sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar
- 4 cups cooked brown rice, warm
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
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Toast the nori in a preheated 300F degree oven or a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes. Crumble or chop coarsely.
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Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise through the middle to make four 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick sheets of tofu. Two at a time, cook in a dry skillet or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high for a few minutes until browned on one side. Flip gently, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Let cool, enough to handle, then cute crosswise into matchsticks (see photo). Repeat with the remaining sheets.
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To make the dressing, set the sheets aside. Combine the orange juice lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 1 or 2 minute, the add the shoyu and vinegar. Return to a gentle boil and cook another 1 or 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the zests.
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Stir in 1/3 cup of the dressing into the rice and add more to taste. Scoop the rice into individual bowls and top with the toasted nori, green onions, tofu, avocado slices, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Makes 4-6 servings.
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Comments
I adore this recipe and I’ve been making it for years. Heading out of town tomorrow and making this for supper tonight, as well as packing it to take along with us to the airport. It’s the perfect travel meal!
Made these bowls for lunch and found them to be SO satisfying and delicious. I added some chopped cucumbers tossed in rice wine vinegar and sesame seeds for an extra crunch, and a dab of wasabi for a kick. Next time, I think I’ll add some grated ginger to the dish for a bit of extra zing., or some thinly sliced ribbons of omelette. Highly recommend this recipe!
I used up a bit of this dressing I found in the frig on a salad the other day and it’s taken me two days to remember where I got the recipe from! I’d made a purple cabbage orange dressing slaw about the same time and spent a lot of time looking at various cabbage salad recipes in search of THIS dressing :-). More surprise, since I don’t instagram, was to enjoy your feed a bit and learn of all your 2018 changes. Congratulations, belatedly, on the marriage, move and remodel, and puppy! We went without our kitchen for six months when we redid our own. Best descision ever, and then remodeling the laundry/pantry/flower bouquet room was to follow where we had set up the campstove, electric fry pan and toaster oven. Now I understand why you had that run on instapot recipes! I’ve been reading for awhile and still enjoying tiny spoons of linden honey I purchased years ago from your shop. My husband grew up just around the corner from Quito Blvd, but we’re at the other end of Northern CA now, near Eureka, growing lots of our own pleasures with our two rescued mixed Salukis. Keep sharing God’s beauty through your lens and palette.
This is my dream meal right here, and the sauce sounds so good. Very glad to have learned this fact about the term “sushi” 🙂
Heidi,
I am just wondering how you freeze your brown rice? Anything special need to be done to it or just bag it up in serving sizes and freeze? I really need to do this as i cook too much for myself always!!
thanks,
Jana
I typically let it cool to room temp, fluff it with a fork and then either freeze it in a jar, or in freezer baggies…
I can’t believe I’ve been making your recipe that long! 2007?!! This is one of the kids’ favorite dishes, and has been requested several times as a “birthday dinner.” This year my daughter graduates from college and requested it be in the “family cookbook” I’m giving to start on her own. Thank you ❤️
Love this! And congrats to your daughter :)!
that great easy and simple and healthy too…
Yum! I am definitely trying this, and will probably do some matchsticks of cucumber as well.
Congrats on the nom!
Congratulations love this book
This is a great recipe. What would also add a really nice crunch to the dish would be thinly sliced (or julienned) cucumber quarters, pickled or fresh daikon radish (I believe there are all natural pickled versions available in the macrobiotic section of most health food stores), and even some julienned asian pears, (and you could remove the sugar from the dressing). For lazy types like me, replacing the brown rice with soba noodles is a pleasant similar dish. Yum!
It look’s to good to be through I am definitely going to try this
Just a note re. a couple of know-it-all comments above:
“Sushi” is a term that technically refers to the seasoned rice itself. There’s makizushi, inarizushi, chiraishizushi, etc., and what they have in common is the seasoned rice. You don’t need raw fish for sushi to be sushi, so I see no problem with the recipe name.
That looks awesome!!
I love Japanese food and I am addicted to avocado so I am going to try it.Have fun on your trip.
If you don’t like tofu, replace it with shrimp or tuna, a typical sushi ingredient – I did, it was wonderful. As my avocados are all coming ripe at the same time soon (why did God do it that way) I’ll do this a lot.
Congrats!
Congratulations Heidi!I have learned a completely new type of cooking from your book and this blog, so thank you very much:) I really want to introduce you and your book to the people in my country (Japan). I think there is alot of things we can learn. At least I learned so much and was surprised in a very good way.
Good luck Heidi, I hope you will have a great weekend!
Heidi, this looks great. Thanks for sharing! I have my own sushi bowl recipe, but I’m going to have to try your citrus-soy dressing out!
You should tag this under your vegan recipes too! Don’t leave us out! 🙂 Thanks again for the great looking recipe (and, as always, fantastic pictures!)
In response to Alisunwunderland, I’d say that a lot of people have hijacked the word vegetarian – look at how many of them eat fish! A fish is not a vegetable, and many species are at least as sentient as your average chicken. If you’re vegetarian, you eat plants. If you eat animals, you’re not. My soapbox moment…
I love this recipe, and since I eat an avocado a day, I love all the great new ideas your blog gives me for ongoing variety! Thank you Heidi, and good luck with your nomination – so well deserved.
this looks delicious! and perfect, since I’m suffering from serious sushi-withdrawal since I left paris (we lived above a wonderful sushi restaurant, with scallop sashimi, avocado california rolls…i think i’d better stop typing, this is beginning to smack of masochism…)
wonderful blog by the way -it’s becoming something of an addiction… and best of luck for the nomination!
this looks delicious! and perfect, since I’m suffering from serious sushi-withdrawal since I left paris (we lived above a wonderful sushi restaurant, with scallop sashimi, avocado california rolls…i think i’d better stop typing, this is beginning to smack of masochism…)
wonderful blog by the way -it’s becoming something of an addiction… and best of luck for the nomination!
This one looks especially great…
Fish is NOT an essential ingredient of sushi. “Sushi” is the shaped seasoned rice “The word sushi itself comes from an outdated grammatical form of a word that is no longer used in other contexts; literally, sushi means “it’s sour.””
Sushi CAN be vegetarian or vegan.
Sashimi is the fish part….
But anyhow, this salad looks great.
Fabulous!
I just turned 50 and have only recently adopted the all-natural lifestyle.
Better late than never, I suppose.
Your book put me on the path.
When I was younger, I couldn’t comprehend people who ate this way. “Why don’t you eat junk food like NORMAL people?” lol
But as knowledge increases, wisdom kicks in.
All the best!
Congratulations, I hope you win and I can’t wait to make this. It sounds like the perfect summer dish to take to work!
hi
Haha… I agree with Haru:
Heidi, I love your site and even though I don’t often cook I look forward to your entries. And I have all the respect in the world for vegetarians. But sushi has fish in it. Californians seem to be trying to hijack the word. But fish is one of 2 essential ingredients of sushi. I’m taking a stand!
to quote my lovely foreign coworkers after reading the recipe:
“Ha. Americanssssssss”
this is a good idea…too lazy for sushi, but not for this tasty dish. I have some brown rice waiting for me, now I know what to do about it. Thanks!
We’ll have to rename this recipe
California Roll Bowl
Doesn’t have the same ring as Sushi Bowl
This is just great, Heidi! The minute I got your book I knew it was worthy of this kind of award. Congrats on the nomination!
This looks delicious, I’ll just replace the shoyu with some gluten-free tamari and I’m certain I will have a delicious GF meal!
Thanks for sharing.
amber 🙂
Congratulations , Heidi! And thanks so much for showing me a whole new world of cooking!! All the best
Hi Heidi – the sushi bowl is one of our *favorite* recipes from SNC — it’s so delicious!! We’ve been having it as a cool supper dish lately, as the weather is warming up. Congrats on the award nomination — it’s certainly well-deserved! I just ADORE your book. –Amy
I just made this recipe out of your book last week. Though I’ve made similar bowls in the past, the dressing really cranked this dish over the top– really great! Thanks for posting all of these great recipes and ideas. Have fun on your trip!
Auguri!
I haven’t gotten to the sushi bowl yet, but I’m happy as can be working my way through SNC–so far everything I’ve made from it has become a new favorite.
congrats! this recipe is so up my alley, it looks delicious and I’ve never been known be be able to resist avocado mmm mmm mmm
one question, is short grain brown rice the regular brown rice you see everywhere or do I have to look for it specifically?
Look for “short grain brown rice” it’s definitely different than brown basmati or brown jasmine :).
This sushi bowl sounds incredible, I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for helping me venture out to incorporate more tofu into my meals!
Yours was one of the first food blogs I discovered when I first tackled this foreign art called “cooking.”
Thanks so much for showing how easy it is to put together good, healthy meals.
I’m glad I discovered your blog.
Congratulations Heidi!!! We just love your book(s), and they have helped to convert a serious meatloving husband into a more than occasional vegetarian!!!
I just love, love your book and your e-mail updates. And, well, I can’t begin to explain this, but I can’t count how many times I’ve fixed lunch or dinner, and… the very next e-mail update I get from you is eerily similar…
Hi Heidi!
I’ve been busy and haven’t stopped by in a while, but I’ve loved a lot of your most recent recipes and am looking for a chance to try them. This one looks especially great…we are going through a sushi phase right now, so I may have to try this, although I think my carnivorous boyfriend will demand the addition of fish. I do like th idea of tofu since I’m not a tofu lover but think I would enjoy it in this dish. Have a great NY trip!
Heidi, I love your site and even though I don’t often cook I look forward to your entries. And I have all the respect in the world for vegetarians. But sushi has fish in it. Californians seem to be trying to hijack the word. But fish is one of 2 essential ingredients of sushi. I’m taking a stand!
I make your sushi bowl all the time, its lovely!
The recipe looks delicious – as usual. Plus I’m a sucker with anything featuring a gorgeous avocado like that. If only they were in beautiful abundance in Chicago… 🙂
This is my personal fave from the book. Well, this and the mesquite flour cookies…yum!
We’ve been making this recipe regularly ever since SNC came out — everyone in my family loves it!
Congrats on the nomination and happy NYC eating!
We’ve made the sushi bowl several times and every time it is outstanding. You would think the avocado would steal the show, but everything rounds out well. I love the flavor of toasting the nori.
Oh yum! This looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
I am so excited to try this. Thanks for the new and different recipe.
Congratulations! I am so looking forward to making this recipe! I’ve been enjoying your blog for a few weeks now, and I truly love making your recipes.
Thanks so much!
Wow!!! How exciting!!!!
I feel blessed to have found your blog and that I am “in the know” about you and your awesome food.
Have a blast.
This is one of my favorite dishes from your book. Thanks for reminding me about it, I’ll be making it again soon.
Congrats on your nomination!
Congratulations and good luck! And thank you for another great recipe!
Kate
Congratulations Heidi! Wishing you best of luck.
Heidi, I’ve tried cooking tofu in a dry skillet before and it just sticks to the pan and gets burnt. Do you have a trick (i.e. a certain temp in the pan before adding the tofu) or do I lack the touch? I usually pan fry mine in my wok with some sesame oil.
Btw, thank you for all the wonderful vegan recipes. I’ve made a whole vegan dinner party for friends using your posts.
this is like chirasizushi. I’ve made a similar version of this and it’s an excellent thing to know of. Thanks for the reminder.
It makes me think of ‘summer risotto.’
Congrats, Heidi!
I have a Trader Joe’s brown rice and seaweed precooked rice bowl sitting in my cabinet waiting to be jazzed up into a meal; this sounds perfect, and I’ve already got the first couple steps done. Thank you! Can’t wait to try it.
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