Vegan Sushi Recipes

Sushi! Many people think that to eat sushi, you have to eat fish—WRONG! You can fill sushi rolls with anything you like, and a happy herbivore will let you know his or her favorite ingredients. Fill them with avocado, fried tofu, pickled radish, marinated shitake mushrooms, or a bounty of faux fish. Loading them up with fresh veggies and using brown rice makes this classic Japanese snack a healthy meal. If you’re new to the vegan sushi world, here are few of my favorite rolls and a simple how-to guide for making the most rockin’ rolls at home. You should be able to find most of these ingredients at any grocer or at your local Asian market.

Cali Rolls

4 sheets toasted nori
2 cups cooked sushi rice (see recipe at bottom)
1/3 cup sesame seeds
300 g fried tofu, cubed
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into matchstick-sized pieces1 avocado peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-cm wedges

Cover a bamboo sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap. Lay one sheet of nori on the mat, shiny side down. Wet your fingers and spread about 1/4 cup of the sushi rice on the nori evenly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and carefully flip the rice-covered nori over on the mat. Place 1/4 of the tofu, cucumber, and avocado in the center of the nori sheet. Begin rolling the mat from the side closest to you into a tight tube shape. Cut into 6 pieces.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve.

Makes approximately 24 pieces

Inari

1 cup cooked sushi rice (see recipe at bottom)
1/4 cup pickled daikon (radish)
1/4 cup finely diced carrots
2 sheets toasted nori, finely crumbled
10 abura-age pockets (fried tofu pockets)

Mix the rice, daikon, carrots, and seaweed together in bowl.
Squeeze the excess liquid from the abura-age pockets. Stuff each pocket with the rice mixture and serve.

Makes 10 inari

Temaki Hand Rolls

2 nori sheets, cut into halves (4 halves total)
2 cups cooked sushi rice (see recipe at bottom)
10 shitake mushrooms, diced
8 asparagus spears
Alfalfa sprouts
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-cm wedges
1 medium-sized carrot, cut into matchstick-sized pieces

Place one 1/2 sheet of the nori in front of you horizontally. Spread 1/4 of the rice on the left side of the nori sheet, leaving some space around the edge of the nori. Place 1/4 of all the other ingredients in the center of rice. Roll into a cone shape with your hands.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients and serve.

Makes 4 rolls