Japanese sushi is renowned for its presentation of raw fish, but vegan sushi rolls showcase the flavor and versatility of vegetables and fruit.
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What Is a Vegan Sushi Roll?
A vegan sushi roll is a Japanese dish that combines vinegared short-grain sushi rice, sheets of seaweednori, and a sushi filling composed of various vegan-friendly ingredients. Unlike nigiri, which consists of ingredients resting on top of bite-sized beds of rice, chefs construct sushi rolls (makizushi or maki) and hand rolls (temaki) by rolling an outer layer of toasted seaweed (nori) and seasoned sushi rice around thinly sliced vegetables. Chefs use a bamboo mat to press the roll into a compact cylinder for easy slicing with a sharp knife.
Common vegan sushi accompaniments include soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari) for dipping, and occasionally, grated daikon radish, pickled ginger, and wasabi.
8 Common Ingredients in Vegan Sushi Rolls
Vegetarian sushi recipes may incorporate ingredients like eggs (tamago) for rich texture. Still, vegan sushi relies on various ingredients to create simple, refreshing rolls with bold, dynamic flavors. Here’s a sampling of the most popular vegan sushi ingredients:
- 1. Grains: All sushi starts with rice. Short-grain white rice (seasoned with rice vinegar and sugar) is most common, but homemade sushi can feature brown rice, black rice, or nutrient-dense pseudo-grains like quinoa. Use cauliflower rice to make a grain-free sushi roll.
- 2. Greens: Many vegetarian sushi rolls feature raw, cooked, or pickled greens like baby spinach, sunflower sprouts, chopped pea shoots, herbs like shiso, scallion greens, or pickled mustard greens.
- 3. Fruit: While thin slices of strawberry and kiwi are a popular addition to dessert-style sushi, you can also use fruit to accent savory ingredients.
- 4. Mushrooms: Bundles of fine white enoki mushrooms or marinated shiitake mushrooms add a savory flavor and hearty texture to any sushi roll, and they’re an excellent pairing with any dipping sauce. Serve more delicate mushrooms raw or sautéed in butter, and soften larger mushrooms like maitakes by grilling or frying them first.
- 5. Pickles and pastes: To add acidity and umami to your rolls, incorporate fermented ingredients like miso, nattō, vegetarian Korean kimchi, or umeboshi paste, made from a tart Japanese pickled plum. Wrap pickles, like beni shōga (bright red pickled ginger), into the roll itself, or serve them alongside other dishes.
- 6. Tempura: Ingredients fried in a light and crispy tempura batter are common in all kinds of sushi rolls, from shrimp tempura to fried soft-shell crab. Add tempura to a vegan roll by omitting the egg from the batter and using veggies like thinly sliced sweet potato, kabocha squash, or bell peppers.
- 7. Vegetables: There’s no limit to the vegetables that appear in vegan sushi. Julienned cucumbers, carrots, daikon radish, and kanpyō (dried gourd strips rehydrated in a sweet and savory marinade) are among the most popular veggie options.
- 8. Vegan protein: To add flavor and protein to vegan sushi, add crumbled tempeh or tofu. If using plain tempeh, sauté it with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce first.
6 Vegan-Friendly Sushi Rolls
Here are some popular vegan rolls you’re likely to find on most sushi menus:
- 1. Avocado sushi: Creamy slices of avocado are a staple sushi ingredient, adding color, texture, and a helping of healthy fats.
- 2. Cucumber sushi: Kappa maki, or cucumber sushi, is a variation of hosomaki, simple rolls that feature a single ingredient. Kappa maki uses a few spears of peeled cucumber.
- 3. Inari sushi: Inari sushi, also known as inarizushi, is a Japanese dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches (also known as aburaage or fried bean curd) that chefs simmer in a sweet dashi broth. Some chefs add sesame seeds or furikake seasoning to the rice for a subtle, nutty flavor and eye-catching look.
- 4. Kanpyō: Kanpyō (or kampyō) are dried shavings of calabash gourd, a type of gourd also known as fukube or yugao. Kanpyō’s main appeal is its spongy, chewy, snappy texture, which provides an interesting contrast when you wrap it in sushi rice. You can find packaged kanpyō gourd strips in Asian grocery stores.
- 5. Nasu maki: Nasu dengaku, or miso-glazed Japanese eggplant, often appears as a nigiri topping, where the intricately scored flesh of the fruit is on full display, but you can also use it as a deeply savory sushi filling.
- 6. Ume shiso roll: Ume shiso rolls feature a refreshing combination of julienned cucumber, umeboshi paste, and shiso leaves wrapped in sushi rice and a nori sheet.
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