Hello everybody! Finally I have made my vegan sushi recipe a reality, but just a few disclaimers before we get into it. First of all I have no traditional ties to sushi, so it is very possible that this is wrong in every possible way, I just don’t what to call it other than “sushi”, but I apologize for the travesty you’re about to witness. I also never liked conventional sushi, so this is not a recipe that mimics the taste of fish, just fyi. BUT I flipping love this recipe and within a week, I’ve made it twice, no regrets, it so good.
Tempura fried sweet potato: the most complicated part of this dish is the fried sweet potato, but it is super tasty none the less. Here is what you need: 1 large sweet potato, 3 dl (deciliter) of cornflakes (or breadcrumbs), 2 dl of flour, ½ a dl of oil, a pinch of salt, ½ a tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp of garlic powder and 1 dl of water.
Cut the sweet potato into long thin strips, like thick chips. Then set them aside. Made a panko coating by smashing your cornflakes in a canvas bag, or a stasher bag, until most large chunks are gone. Now mix the remaining ingredients until a thick batter forms. It should be so that it does not all run of the sweet potato, so adjust with water and flour until you get the right consistency.
Now it’s time to fry. Heat up 4-5 dl of frying oil in a pot, I use sunflower seed oil, and once it’s ready to fry them until the coating is golden brown. Set them aside to rest and cool.
I also did the same with some soy chunks because I had more dough left, so if you have anything else you want fried, it a good time to do it.
The sushi rice: Take 2 dl of sushi rice and rinse until the water runs clear, now take 3 dl of water and a tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling lower the heat to a minimum and wait 7-10 minutes (or follow the instructions of the box, which also helps) When the rice is done remove from the pot to a bowl and add 1 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsps of rice vinegar, mix thoroughly and let it cool. Slowly, you’re going to feel the rice will become more sticky and easier to work with.
Greens: simply slice some veggies, whatever you like, I have cucumber, spring onion and avocado in mine (the avos are rescued from a dumpster) I also made a chili mayo by mixing vegan mayo and chili powder, I made an avo cream by smashing some avos with mayo. I used these both on top and inside the rolls. I had some fried onion left in my pantry as well, they added a really good element to the rolls. Lastly, I found seaweed-based caviar which is completely vegan and I used that to add some salt and some notes of the ocean.
The roll: Lastly I placed everything on a nori sheet (this was the one thing I was unable to find without plastic dammit) and rolled everything up. I found my bamboo sheets in a charity shop and it is surprisingly easy to get a hang of it. Make sure to go slowly at first, make sure that the nori is rolling with everything in place, and give it a couple of rolls and a little pressure and bam, vegan sushi. When cutting the pieces make sure to cut them like you slice a loaf of bread, not like you would cut vegetables, which will push all the insides out both sides (I speak from experience) Instead make small strokes without applying too much pressure.
