I vividly remember the first time I had sushi. I was in college and visiting my brother in Chicago. We ate outside on a beautiful night at a sushi restaurant called Tsunami (it has since closed), right in the heart of downtown Chicago. I decided at that moment that I would be moving to Chicago when I graduated from college. I also decided I would eat sushi all the time in this magical city. I even tried to get a head start by picking up sushi at the local grocery store back in my college town in Iowa. Bad idea.
I have now lived in this magical city for over seven years and I absolutely love it. I don’t eat sushi as much as I would like, but it is definitely part of the regular rotation. While I can’t say that I have attempted making my own sushi, this dip is as close as I have come to homemade sushi. Even though it has no fish, it still has great sushi flavors and is ridiculously easy to make.
My friend, Marni, brought a variation of this dip to my house for a get together. I was obsessed. I tweaked it a bit by adding green onions, and I toasted the sesame seeds. Another change was that I combined some of the cream cheese with the wasabi paste to ease the bite of the wasabi. You could certainly skip this step by just spreading the wasabi paste (not powder) between the layers of cream cheese.
This is what your cream cheese and wasabi sandwich looks like before adding the toppings.
The Perfect Pairing for this dip is rice crackers. I had never purchased these before Marni brought them over, but they are just what this dip needs. It truly does taste like sushi. I have made it a few times and it is always a hit… no leftovers! If you are a true wasabi fan you can get wasabi rice crackers. That is my preference.
Lindsay at Perfecting the Pairing
Ingredients:
· 8 oz block of cream cheese (light is fine)
· 2 tsp wasabi paste (more or less to taste)
· 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
· 1 Tb sesame seeds, toasted lightly
· 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Directions:
Cut the end off of the cream cheese, about 1/3 of the block. Add the small section to a bowl, mix in the wasabi paste until completely combined. Slice the longer section of cream cheese in half, lengthwise. Place the bottom half of the cream cheese on a platter with raised sides. Spread the wasabi cream cheese over the bottom half and top it off with the remaining half.
Pour the soy sauce over the block of cream cheese and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and green onion slices. Serve with rice crackers.
this literally looks like the most disgusting thing i've ever seen.
ReplyDeletei'm not sure this person has ever actually had sushi
DeleteAnonymous = too embarrassed to put your name on it.
Deleteyou need to get out more, then.
ReplyDeleteseriously, how is your comment the least bit helpful?
are you telling me that cream cheese and wasabi spread dumped in the middle of a plate of soy sauce actually sounds appetizing? to even compare this with sushi is ludicrous.
Deleteand i don't know why you believe my comments need to be 'helpful'. as this blog's reader, that's not my job.
Anonymous, you seem like a great person. Pleasant to be around.
DeleteI have had this appetizer recently and it was amazing! In fact, just reading this recipe today makes me hungry for it. I think "anonymous" should sample it before judging it.
ReplyDeleteYou know you've hit the big time when an anonymous commenter puts down a post. Hurray! Let's celebrate with some of this dip. Because it looks super yummy to me. Cheers, anonymous!
ReplyDeleteBless your your heart Kim! Thank you!
DeleteI didn’t expect such a reaction! It may look strange, but it is surprisingly good. It is definitely not the most gourmet appetizer, but it has been a hit every time I served it. No leftovers. I totally get it if it is not your thing, ignore it and move on. There are plenty of other great recipes out there!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious. If you don't like it, then more for me!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patti! Let me know if you try it!
DeleteI think this is brilliant - it definitely resembles flavors and textures of sushi and it's very creative. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cassie! I visit your site often. Thank you for the comment!
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