Forbidden Rice Cake with Avocado and Braised Lotus Root

Instructions

• Put the rice, 1 3/4 cups water, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Decrease the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot, and cook for 35 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and fluff the rice with a silicone spatula. Cover and set aside.
• If using dried lotus root, reconstitute in water to cover by 1 inch before proceeding. Put the lotus root slices in a small pot and add the tamari, mirin, sesame oil, and 1 cup water.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, and then decrease the heat to maintain a bare simmer.
• Cook until the lotus root is tender, and the liquid has reduced to a thin sauce, about 20 minutes. The sauce should have the consistency of warm maple syrup. If the liquid reduces too quickly and the lotus root is still tough, add a little water and continue cooking.
• Remove from the heat and cover the pot.
• Put the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
• Toast them, shaking the skillet constantly, until light brown and aromatic.
• Pour the seeds into a mortar, preferably a Japanese suribachi, and add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Grind the seeds coarsely, leaving a few intact.
• Toast the nori over an open flame until it turns green and shrivels slightly. Alternatively, the nori can be toasted in a toaster oven, but keep an eye on it! Break the nori into pieces and then crumble finely.
• Pack the rice into a 3 1/2-inch ring mold (see note) to form a cylinder shape approximately 1 1/4 inches tall. Repeat, to form 4 cakes, and set them on a baking sheet. Keep them warm in a low oven.
• Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Cut 3 equal slices across the center of the concave area where the pit was, and then use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh. You should have 24 arc-shaped slices. Reserve the other pieces for another use.
• Select four medium-sized plates, and set a rice cake in the center of each plate, using a thin, wide spatula.
• Arrange 6 avocado slices on top of each cake, overlapping to form a continuous circle, right above the edge of the cake.
• Place 6 slices of lotus root around each cake, evenly spaced.
• Drizzle a thin stream of the sauce in a circle, across the middle of each slice.
• Garnish with a very light sprinkling of the crushed nori flakes all around, followed by the scallions, then the ground sesame seeds, and lastly, the black sesame seeds.
• Serve at once; take a bow.

This recipe is from the book Extraordinary Vegan and is provided courtesy of the author Alan Roettinger.