There are times when you desperately want some sushi, but for whatever reason you can’t have it. It may be because you’re pregnant and can’t eat the raw portions just yet or because of dietary restrictions or allergies, but the cravings just won’t stop. Now, you can have your sushi, minus the ingredients you’re supposed to avoid.
After many, many attempts, we’ve finally found some vegan sushi recipes that you’ll love. The best part? They taste so much better than the traditional sushi rolls.
Yam Uni
It makes four to six pieces.
Ingredients:
- 1 yam, peeled
- Sushi rice (recipe below)
- Toasted sesame seeds
Ponzu sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon mirin
- ½ teaspoon of rice vinegar
Cooking instructions:
01 Slice yams into 1/3 inch slices. Stack them and trim off edges. Cut slices into 1×2 inch rectangles. Place in boiling water for five minutes or until tender, then place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
02 While yams cool, prepare ponzu sauce: mix soy sauce, lemon juice, mirin and rice vinegar in a small bowl.
03 Moisten hands with water. Take tablespoon-sized oval of sushi rice and gently form into a rectangle shape between palms of hands. Don’t squeeze too tightly or it will change the texture and make it a runny mess.
04 Hold a yam slice in palm of non-dominant hand and rest rectangle of rice on top of it. Use other hand’s thumb and index finger to gently squeeze rice and yam into rectangular shape while pressing down on top of rice with thumb of other hand. Flip it over the so fillet of yam is on top and repeat the gentle squeezing process once more. Brush yams with ponzu sauce and top with toasted sesame seeds.
Sushi Rice
Ingredients:
- 2 cups short-grain Japanese rice
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
Instructions:
01 Rinse the rice 5 times, then drain in a colander and let dry for 15 minutes.
02 Cook the rice in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions or you can cook it in a medium saucepan. You’ll need to combine the rice with 2 cups of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes. (Do not uncover while cooking.) Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes.
03 In the meantime, in a small saucepan, combine the sake-mash vinegar, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and warm over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
04 Transfer the rice to a very large bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the seasoned vinegar all over the rice, then, drizzle onto a spatula while waving the spatula back and forth to cover. Using a slicing motion with the spatula, gently separate the rice grains while mixing in the seasoning mixture. Fan the rice while mixing it to help to dry it. Wipe down any stray grains from the side of the bowl. Cover the rice with a damp towel to keep warm until you’re ready to serve or devour if you’d like.
By Eilleen Smith