I haven’t always loved sushi
Ok, confession time. 1) I haven’t always loved sushi. 2) I’d never even had plant based sushi before I made this. As a matter of fact, the only time I’ve eaten it the past few years has been when I was with my sister and she wanted it! I’ve liked it enough to have some every now and then, but after 3-4 pieces I’ve had enough.
But a couple weeks ago I saw a recipe on Pinterest that got me really craving some! I was intrigued by the idea of making it at home, so I called my sushi-fan sister and asked if she had made it, and if it was difficult. She said she had, assured me it wasn’t too difficult, and encouraged me to give it a try!
But I’m not one for having all-the-kitchen-things, I don’t have a sushi mat, and I didn’t want to get one before I even knew if I would like my homemade sushi! Thankfully, after some google research, I found The Minimalist Baker’s instructions for making sushi without a mat. Ready. To. Roll
But of course, covid -19
Of course, we were under a stay at home order because of coronavirus, so I couldn’t just dash to the store to get the groceries I needed. We tried online ordering for in store pick up, but the wait would be days! I ended up waiting a day and donning my homemade mask to brave a trip into Walmart. Thankfully we got groceries for the whole week, and just a couple extras for making this yummy sushi. The Nori paper was really the only essential part I didn’t have at home. I did get wasabi and ginger, to complete the sushi experience, but you could easily get away without it.
It feels overwhelming at first, to look at all the ingredients and prep work and wait time. I promise though, it’s not as complicated as it sounds, and once you have it down, you’ll be whipping up some sushi for lunch at least once a week!
Start with rice – you want it cold!
You’ll start by cooking your rice. If you have a rice cooker, I’m sure this would work in there too! I’ve always just made it on the stovetop. Due to, you know, not having a rice cooker. Then you’ll add a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt to your cooked rice. Then set it aside to cool. It helps to spread it out on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for a few minutes!
Then prep your fillings
For my fillings, I used tofu, sweet potato and cabbage. Honestly, though, you can mix it up with any filling ideas you like. I decided on these for filling because I had them in my kitchen already! Other ideas I’ve tried since then include carrots, zucchini and avocado, which are all great raw.
I tried three different ideas for cooking the sweet potato. One tray, I tossed it in a little oil, seasoned with salt, garlic and ginger, and baked until soft. Another tray, I baked them in an attempted a vegan tempura batter. And on a third, I did tempura batter plus panko breading. The panko breaded ones were deliciously crunchy in the rolls. But, they were a lot of extra work, so I didn’t think they were quite worth it. I decided the simplest was the best!
For the tofu, I pressed it out well, cut into small strips, and marinated it in a soy sauce blend. That really let it soak up some flavor but kept it from being too soggy. I’ve heard that crispy air fryer tofu is really yummy in plant based sushi though! If you every try that, let me know.
I used plain green cabbage, again, because it was what I had on hand, and thin sliced it. In a couple experimental rolls I also threw in thin sliced red onion, which didn’t add much for me. And in another a few slices of avocado, which is always a winner! So feel free to play around with your filling ingredients. The sky is the limit!
When you are ready to make the actual sushi rolls, it helps to have all your ingredients and fillings set up assembly-line style! Then it’s a simple matter of pressing on the rice, topping with fillings, and rolling snugly into a little sushi burrito. Let it chill in the fridge for a few minutes, then slice and serve!
Perfect Plant Based Sushi
Ingredients
- For the rice:
- 1 cup uncooked white rice (sushi rice, short grain, or just regular!)
- 2 cups water
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- For the filling:
- 1/2 of a sweet potato (peeled)
- 1/4 block firm tofu (drained and pressed)
- 1/2 cup cabbage (sliced thin)
- For the tofu marinade:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
- Additionally:
- 4 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
- olive or coconut oil for tossing sweet potaotes
- Soy sauce, eel sauce, wasabi, ginger, sriracha for serving
Instructions
- Start by cooking your rice. Rinse uncooked rice in a mesh strainer until water runs clear, then add to a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or saucepan, mix together rice vinegar, sugar and salt, heat on stove or in microwave until well dissolved, set aside.
- As soon as your rice is on, preheat oven to 400. Chop sweet potato into long thin strips. I aim for 1/4 inch wide strips. If they are too bulky they'll be tough to roll into the sushi. Toss in a drizzle of oil, sprinkle with a little salt, garlic and ginger, and bake until fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Slice tofu into small strips as well, 1/2 – 1/4 inch thick. Mix together marinade ingredients and add to tofu strips. I like to marinate in a sealed glass container that I can flip over every so often, for better distribution. Set aside.
- Once your rice is cooked, stir in rice vinegar mixture until well incorporated. Allow rice to cool. If you want to help that go faster, spread rice out onto a baking sheet and refrigerate.
- To assemble the sushi:
- Once all your ingredients are prepared, I like to set them up assembly line style, so that everything is clearly reachable.
- Place your nori on a sheet of wax or parchment paper, and use your hands to press a thin layer of rice over almost the whole sheet. Leave about an inch uncovered at the top. If it's too sticky to handle, try dipping your fingers in a bit of water. Arrange fillings on top, near bottom third of the rice.
- Now, lift the wax paper and use it to help roll the nori and rice snugly around your fillings. Repeat with remaining sheets of nori.
- Refrigerate whole sushi roll for at least 10 minutes, or up to 24 hours. If storing for longer than 10 minutes, place in a sealable container or wrap well in plastic or foil.
- To serve, remove from fridge and unwrap. Slice with a sharp knife. Dip blade in water if you're having any issues with it being sticky!
- Serve with extra soy sauce, eel sauce, wasabi, pickled ginger, or sriracha sauce.
Now you know how, go forth and sushi! Leave a comment below and let me know how you liked the recipe, or feel free to tag me on Instagram @traveling_chickpea if you make anything from the blog!
