Thousands of years ago, before rice became popular, millet was the staple grain of Asia. While most whole grain sushi uses brown rice, the sticky quality of millet is perfectly suited for this purpose. Smoked salmon, which is often more accessible than sushi-grade raw fish, makes this recipe even more user-friendly.
1/3 cup uncooked millet
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
4 sheets toasted nori
4 ounces smoked salmon
1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 small carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
1 avocado, sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1. Combine millet with ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about 25 minutes, until millet reaches a sticky consistency.
2. Remove from heat, then stir soy sauce and rice vinegar into the cooked millet.
3. Moisten a nori sheet with water until it is pliable, but not completely drenched, then lay it flat on a cutting board (or bamboo mat if you have one).
4. Spread about 1/3 cup cooked millet in a thin, even layer over about a third of the nori sheet, leaving a little bit of uncovered nori on each side. This works best when the millet is warm and sticky.
5. Lay 1 ounce of salmon over the millet, then top with a few cucumber and celery matchsticks and avocado slices. Drizzle with ½ teaspoon olive oil. (See photo below)
6. Gently roll the nori like a burrito, tucking the sides in while rolling the filled side toward the empty side, and set on a plate seam side down.
7. Repeat the process on the next 3 nori wraps.
8. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving, until wrap reaches desired temperature. You can also wrap the completed nori wrap in plastic wrap until serving for extra security.
Kelly Toups, for the Oldways Whole Grains Council
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