By Diane Carman, makes 25-30.
Ingredients
1 carrot, scraped
1/2 mango, not too ripe, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 small daikon radish, scraped
1/2 red bell pepper
Sushi nori
DIPPING SAUCE
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar or worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese sesame oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Chinese chili oil, or to taste
Directions
Cut carrot, mango, cucumber, radish and bell pepper into thin julienne pieces about 2 inches long. Blanch carrot pieces in boiling water for about 30 seconds, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Bundle 2 pieces of each vegetable and one piece of mango and wrap in a 1-inch-wide by 4-inch-long piece of sushi nori, moistening the end with water to secure the bouquet.
Sauce: Stir ingredients together in small bowl. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Arrange on a platter and serve as an appetizer with dipping sauce.
Wine ideas: These sweet-spicy bundles with their pungent sauce pose an excellent excuse to break out a cold, crisp sake. The clear, fruity, mineral flavors of a sake such as Ginza Shizuku Divine Droplets (about $4 0/300ml) or Nanbu Bijin Southern Beauty ($20-$25/ 300ml) would be delicious. Tara Q. Thomas
