RECIPE :: Sushi

(30+ sushi rolls)

I’ve always wanted to try sushi but being vegan I resigned myself to the fact that it is something I could not eat. How wonderfully wrong I was, vegan sushi isn’t just possible it is glorious, with its subtle flavours and smooth textures. Here are two fillings that can be used and a few other ways to have some fun.

Ingredients
6 nori sheets,

Rice
200g of sushi rice,
600ml of water,
1tsp of wasabi powder,
3tbsp of rice vinegar and
1tsp of salt.

Tempeh filling
½ a pack of tempeh,
¼ tsp of sesame oil,
½ tsp of rice vinegar,
1tbsp of black sesame seeds,
½ tsp of mirin and
½ tsp of salt.

Avocado filling
½ an avocado,
25g of walnuts (roasted and crumbled),
½ tbsp of walnut oil.

Dressing
1tbsp of ginger juice,
50ml of olive oil,
100ml of rice vinegar and
1tsp of tamari.

Method
1) To make the rice; put the rice and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 6 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drain away any excess water.
2) Place the rice in a large glass bowl (glass cools the rice fast) and mix in the wasabi powder, rice vinegar and salt.
3) Whilst the rice is cooling you can make the two fillings.
4) To make the tempeh fillings; steam the tempeh for 10 minutes to remove the raw, bitter flavour.
5) Once steamed, mash the tempeh and mix in the rest of the ingredients and put to one side.
6) To make the avocado filling; mash the avocado flesh and mix in the walnuts and walnut oil. Set to one side.
7) To assemble the sushi; it is best to start this section with a clean, uncluttered work surface. In front of you place a bowl of water with a dash of rice vinegar in it. Next to the water place the nori sheets. Above the nori sheets place your toppings and cooled rice.
8) Place a nori sheet on top of the sushi mat (mat not necessary but it makes it easier) and fill the bottom 2/3 of the sheet with the rice (to about a 1cm thickness).
9) In the centre of the rice lay horizontally (from end to end) 2tbsp of one of the fillings.
10) Wet the upper 1/3 of the nori sheet using the vinegar water. Roll the rice end to the end of the rice and lock together with the dampened nori sheet.
11) With a sharp, serrated knife cut the long sushi roll into 1 inch pieces.
12) To make the dressing; combine all of the ingredients together.

Serving Suggestions
1) If your meal is going to be just the sushi it can be improved by serving it with some of the arame and ginger salad.
2) The sushi can be decorated by thin slices of pickled ginger, cucumber, lemon or kiwi.

Variations

The fillings for the sushi can be anything that you desire. It can be as simple as thin carrot slices or a bit more complex as the fishless tuna recipe (from my first book, the happy hippo).