Sushi (Japanese & Vegan)

February 16, 2015

I don’t know if anyone has been following this blog long enough to remember, but at one point (back when I was much better about posting regularly) I had decided to make one ‘International & Vegan’ dish every month. It never quite worked out that way, but yesterday I made sushi (one of my all time favorite things) and since I just had to share the recipe I thought I’d reintroduce the idea.

It’s surprisingly easy to make, and even if it’s vegan it still tastes absolutely delicious. The great thing about making it yourself is that you can make as much as you want and ensure that you’re completely and utterly stuffed with sushi by the end! Oh and just so you know, I made this for two friends, neither of which is vegan and one of whom is obsessed with sushi and they both loved it – so why don’t you impress some friends and give this one a go?

Ingredients | for the rice

2 cups of sushi rice
3 cups of water
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 white sugar
1 tsp salt

Preparation

Put the rice and the water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes until all the water has evaporated. In a separate saucepan on low heat mix the rest of the ingredients and stir until all of the sugar has dissolved. Once the rice is ready, pour the mixture in, mix well, and leave to cool and dry for about 30 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Warning: the rice will look extremely wet after you add the vinegar mixture – don’t worry about it, it dries as it cools.

Ingredients | putting it all together

Once you have the rice, I’d recommend just getting a few different vegetables and fruits that you like in sushi, cooking them however you like, and then cutting them into long strips. I’ve listed some of my favorites, but feel free to experiment with your own ideas! About the cream cheese: it’s something I picked up while I lived in Argentina (South Americans love cream cheese in their sushi). I realize it’s probably the equivalent of putting ketchup on a pizza, but I can’t help it – it tastes delicious. Plus, it helps add some taste, since vegan sushi is, admittedly, somewhat more bland than fishy sushi.

avocado
mango
red bell pepper, roasted
shitake mushrooms, fried
cucumber
vegan cream cheese

Preparation

As for the actual rolling of the sushi, it’s pretty hard to explain, so I’ve added a video below (no affiliation with me).

Put a sheet of nori (seaweed) on top of a bamboo rolling mat and cover with a thin layer of rice, leaving about 1-2 inches free from one of the sides. Line up whatever ingredients you’ve decided to put in the middle, then roll the mat over it, squeezing hard to make sure it keeps its shape. Once they’re rolled, cut them to the desired thickness and leave aside until you’re ready to eat them.

Below the video are a few of the favorite combinations I tried.