Easy Vegan Sushi Rolls
I have enjoyed sushi countless times, but for some reason, I've always been a tad intimidated at the idea of making it myself. My husband signed us up for a sushi making class a while back and guess what? I was intimidated for no reason because its pretty easy! Since switching to a plant-based diet, I haven't made any and decided today was the day. I grabbed all the specialty items listed below from H Mart in Chicago and watched a few YouTube videos (see below) to refresh my sushi rolling skills.
What You'll Need:
- Bamboo sushi roller mat: They're about $3-5 and you can find them on Amazon or your local Asian market
- A bowl for your rice
- A small dish with water
- A spoon
- Cutting board to cut and keep all of your veggies in one place once you begin rolling sushi
Ingredients:
- 2 sheets of dried seaweed wraps (nori)
- A small bowl/container of water on the side for your fingers/nori wraps
- 3/4 cup of sushi rice (I used Nishiki brand)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3/4 tbsp on agave
- Veggies of your choice sliced long and thin. I used cucumber, jalapeno, avocado, bella mushroom, green onion and yellow pepper
- Optional: vegan cream cheese (Philadelphia roll), I have used Daiya vegan cream cheese, just be sure to put in the freezer at the time you begin making the sushi and remove once you're ready to begin making the rolls
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Desired extras may include soy sauce, wasabi, chia or sesame seeds to top sushi
Rice and Veggie Prep/Instructions:
Add 3/4 cup of rice and one cup of water to a medium saucepan on medium heat until it gets to a low boil (makes 2 rolls) then cover and turn heat to low simmer
Cook the rice for 20 minutes (or until the water has absorbed)
While rice is cooking, slice your veggies into long, thin pieces and set up your sushi station with the bamboo roller, seaweed wraps and water
Remove the rice from the heat
Add seasonings, rice vinegar and agave to the rice and stir. Let rice sit for 10 minutes
Fluff the rice with a fork then transfer into a bowl and move it to your sushi station
While rice is cooling, make sure you have everything you need to make your sushi close at hand.
Tips: Make sure you pack your veggies closely together on the rice to make it easier to roll. As you start placing your sushi rice on the nori sheets, I like to dip my spoon in the water before I apply the rice, allowing it not to stick and making the distribution of the rice much easier.
YouTube sushi rolling tutorial: Since its hard to explain via words, check out this video I used. Knock yourself out and what the whole thing or jump to 7:21 to learn how to wrap it the way I did (it ends at 8:50). It was super helpful!
Have you ever made your own sushi? Drop me a comment below and be sure to tag me on Instagram (@plantbasedtamika) if you try any of my recipes. Enjoy!
