Sushi is a food I never really messed with when I used to eat meat, I guess raw fish wasn’t a very appetising premise to me. Whereas vegan sushi, simply rice, veggies and seaweed, I see nothing wrong with that at all.
This vegan ABC sushi recipe is a combination of the following:
Avocado sushi
Bell pepper sushi
Cucumber sushi
Extremely easy to make, all you need is proper sushi rice, the raw veggies, nori (seaweed) sheets and a sushi roller. A side of soy sauce does go perfectly with a good plate of sushi, too.
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The first step of the process is making the sushi rice sticky. You may not have known this, but sushi rice is significantly different to, say, basmati rice, in that sushi rice in particular is much more glutinous.
So much so that some of the starch need be taken out prior to the preparation of the rice.
Nori, the seaweed used in sushi, is rich in minerals and vitamins, including iodine, so you’re getting more than just a fancy snack out of sushi.
This vegan sushi recipe is perfect for those who want to experiment with sushi recipes, and don’t want to mess with raw fish.
Do you need a rolling mat to make sushi?
Not necessarily, it’s perfectly possible to make sushi with an alternative object that you can improvise with, i.e. a tea towel, however, a bamboo mat is the best way to approach rolling sushi, so it is recommended for the best results – Especially for beginners.
This was actually my first time making sushi myself – inspired by Wasabi’s vegan options; which is why I went and experimented with 3 different fillings:
Avocado
Bell pepper
Cucumber
Behold: ABC sushi.
The black sesame seeds I feel are a great touch, that adds a crunchy element to the mix, further enhancing the intricate texture sushi already has.
Ensure when cutting sushi you wet the knife, each time, as seaweed is rather tough when it’s dry, you also need to wet the nori as you roll for the best results.
Alternatively you can eat the sushi as a long roll instead, there’s no official rule for it – I personally prefer bite size sushi pieces.
This recipe yields you around 20 pieces of sushi, which is satisfying as a side dish or as a light main meal, and enough for 2 people to have 10 each!
Not bad for 3 sheets of nori, 1/4 of a cucumber, 1/2 an avocado and 1/2 a bell pepper.
If you don’t enjoy the idea of raw fish wrapped in rice and seaweed, give this vegan sushi recipe a go. It’s a little tough to prepare for beginners, but it is so worth the effort.
Once you master the technique, you’d want this vegan ABC sushi on a regular basis!
| Prep Time | 40 Minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 Minutes |
| Passive Time | 50 Minutes |
| Servings |
Individual sushi pieces
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- 1/2 Avocado
- 1/2 Bell Pepper
- 1/4 Large Cucumber
- 3 Nori Sheets
- 190 Grams Sushi Rice Rinsed first
- 2 Tbsp Black Sesame Seeds
- Salt (To taste)
- 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 300 Millilitres Water For rice
- 10 Millilitres Soy Sauce For serving
Ingredients
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- Soak Sushi rice in 300ml of water and tbsp of rice vinegar for 30 minutes.
- Bring saucepan to a boil, add a pinch of salt, simmer for 10-12 minutes. Remove heat then leave covered for 10 minutes to become sticky.
- Rice is now ready to be used in the sushi.
- Chop veggies thinly, and lengthways, to comfortably fit in roll.
- Place nori sheet on rolling mat, shiny side down.
- Wet fingers, to prevent rice sticking to them while you roll, best to keep a bowl of water nearby to save you making numerous trips.
- Spread a thin layer of rice 3/4 of the way up the nori, leave 1 inch at least of empty nori sheet.
- Add filling, whether you start with avocado, bell pepper or cucumber, or a mix, as well as a sprinkle of black sesame seeds onto the sheet, not too much, and be cautious to leave that extra space.
- Roll the sushi from the bottom of the mat, slide thumbs beneath edge and lift up then forward, to fold the nori.
- Continue pushing mat forward, slowly moulding as you go along to form the sushi roll shape.
- Wet a knife with cold water to cut the sushi, as nori is tough and required moisture to soften, repeat until roll is cut up in about 1 inch sized sushi pieces.
- Repeat process until all the sushi rice, nori sheets and veggies are done, sprinkle the remaining black sesame seeds on top of the sushi.
- Serve with soy sauce and enjoy my ABC sushi as a light lunch or appetiser for your vegan Japanese meal!
