How to make Japanese vegetarian/vegan sushi

Japanese vegetarian/vegan sushi

Sushi! The word itself makes you salivate if you are a fan of sushi.

Does sushi contain raw fish always?

And if you have never tasted sushi in your life and you only know about it by the internet then your perception will be different: The sushi contains raw fish only. But that is not true. Japanese vegetarian/vegan sushi is famous on the internet. People are finding alternatives to salmon and fish roe. Vegan or vegetarian meat and fish are widely available to try on.

Sushi contains cooked fish and vegetables too. The options are abundant. You can be wild and creative with your options while making them. Never be reluctant to try this healthy recipe. Once you try you will realize why I am saying this.

Generally speaking, sushi is prepared with rice, seafood(raw/cooked) and vegetables. Some of the tropical fruit sushi is available. The sushi rice used to be medium-grain white rice, though it can be prepared with brown rice or short-grain rice. If the stuffing part is preferred to be seafood then options are squid, eel, yellowtail, salmon, tuna or imitation crab meat. And it is often served with wasabi and soy sauce.

Similar Japanese Recipe

Tofu Japanese Curry– A Japanese curry recipe made using simple ingredients available at the pantry.A vegan or vegetarian curry made from scratch.

Some of the common sushi varieties to know

• Chirashizushi-serves the rice in a bowl and tops it with a variety of raw fish and vegetable garnishes.
• Inarizushi-a pouch of fried tofu typically filled with sushi rice alone.
• Makizushi-the type of sushi generally consumed in a cylindrical shape and covered with nori, cucumber and sometimes in a thin omelette.
• Hosomaki-this is one of the types of makizushi and contains one ingredient in the centre part. This is the one we are making.
• Uramaki-an uramaki roll is any sushi roll that has been turned “inside out,” with the rice on the outside and the nori on the inside wrapped around the ingredients.
• Temaki– looking very much like an ice cream cone, a temaki roll needs to be eaten almost as quickly, as the rice will cause the nori to become soft.
• Futomaki– with four or more ingredients besides the sushi rice and nori, these rolls are practically meals in and of themselves. 

What we need to make Japanese vegetarian/vegan sushi

Rice

Short-grain Japanese rice (japonica) or medium-grain California rice is used mostly. These types of rice are often labelled as sushi rice or Calrose rice at the store in the US. Today I am using the Calrose rice for making sushi.

Seaweed

Seaweed is used as the outer cover for the rice. Nori is the seaweed generally used in sushi. You can find Nori in Asian grocery shops. Nori is sold as plain or toasted.

Vegetables

I am making these sushi rolls as a vegetarian. I used carrot and cucumber for the stuffing. You can add:

• Bell pepper
• Asparagus(steam or stir-fry)
• Daikon radish
• Mushroom(sauteed)
• Pickled plums
• Boiled/baked sweet potato
• Fried eggplant(marinated with teriyaki or any sauce)
• Sauteed Portobello mushrooms(for meaty flavour)
• Kimchi
• Pickled vegetables
• Roasted cauliflower

Condiments

The generic condiments or sauces which are suitable are soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger, pickled radish(daikon). We like to eat it with soy sauce.

How to make Japanese veg/vegan sushi at home

A sushi recipe made using simple ingredients and pressure ccooker.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Let the pressure cooker release the pressure on its own 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Party Food, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Equipment

• Pressure cooker
• Daiso sushi kit-Sushi mold, for slim rolls, 1.6 x 8.2 x 1.5 in

Ingredients

  

• 4 Seaweed sheets Nori
• ½ Japanese Cucumber
• ½ Carrot
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Water

For Sushi Rice

• 1 cup Calrose Rice
• 1¾ cup Water

Instructions

 

• Add washed rice in a pressure cooker.
• Add water and pressure cook for 4 whistles. Keep aside until the pressure escapes.
• Add sugar in a bowl.
• Add salt.
• Add the sugar-salt mixture into the rice and mix well.
• Spread the rice on the sushi mould.
• Start covering the edges of the mold and center.
• Make room in the centre to keep the vegetable stuffng.
• Place the vegetable(cucumber).
• Keep the rice stuffed mold into the bigger mold.
• Fill the top and sides with rice until you don't see the cucumber.
• Press the rice firmly to fill the gaps, if any.
• Cover with the lid comes along with the sushi kit.
• Press firmly and keep aside.
• Place a seaweed sheet on a flat surface or plate.
• Take out the lid.
• Press up the bottom area. There will be a space to do that.
• Take out the rice filled inner mold.
• Press the bottom slits.
• The rice roll will come outeasily.
• Start rolling the seaweed from one side, covering the rice filling thoroughly.
• If any seaweed sheet is left out, cut it.
• Cut the seaweed roll in to pieces.
• You can cut a roll into four pieces.
• Cucumber sushi is ready.
• You can follow the very same steps for carrot sushi.
• Serve immediatelyi with soy sauce or wasabi.

Notes

• You can cut the seaweed if it is longer than the rice roll. The seaweed will stick on the rice rolls. If you roll the extra seaweed it will not stick. It needs some starch to stick together. If you prefer to roll one more time mash some rice and use it on the seaweed sheet to stick together.
• When cutting the vegetables make sure they are long enough to fit into the sushi mould.
• Make sure the vegetable or any stuffing is thin enough to fit into the mould because we are using the thin sushi kit.
• Make sure you are using a cucumber that does not have hard and many seeds. That type of cucumber will not suit for sushi.
• Japanese cucumber is perfect for sushi as they don’t have many seeds and they are crispy and long to fit enough into the sushi mould.
• I am using mildly spicy seaweed. You can prefer your choice among original, spicy, mala hot, wasabi, squid and even cheese.
• Sushi rice or Calrose rice is used in sushi. These are short-grain white rice. You can use brown rice or any healthy rice if you prefer so.

Keyword calrose rice, carrot, cucumber, fruit sushi, soy sauce, sushi, sushi rice, tofu, vegan, vegetarian, wasabi

Some more stuffing options

• Avocado slices
• Fried tofu
• Sliced omelette
• Tempeh
• Jackfruit
• Mango
• Pineapple(raw or grilled)

I am not using any vinegar in this recipe. The result may be slightly different.

Some quick recipes to try

Energy bar-Snack bar– Easy to prepare and storable high protein energy bar made using healthy ingredients like nuts, oats and seeds. After all, energetic kids need energy.

Milo Jelly– A simple few ingredients recipe made using milo and milk as the base. A kid’s favourite food can be easily accommodated in the party food list.

Khoya chocolate– A chocolate recipe made using cooking chocolate for the outer layer. The filling is made using khoya/milk solids nuts added for the good crunchy effect.

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