Creative w/ Sushi

Tips for Experimenting With Vegan Sushi     

What’s made with sticky rice, wrapped in seaweed, a chopstick’s soul mate, and comes with a bento box full of misconceptions?

All together now: Sushi!

While the term sushi is actually Japanese for “vinegared rice,” there is a common delusion that sushi is synonymous with raw fish. Not so. In fact, vegan sushi can be a plant eater’s ticket to cleaner eating and new culinary challenge.
For those frisky enough to experiment on their own, we’ve put together a few tips to keep it innovative and healthy. For the rest of you, there’s always Yelp.

7 Tips for Experimenting with Vegan Sushi     

Tip #1: Know The Techniques. There are a handful of different sushi concoctions you can try, so before you just tackle a recipe, get familiar with the various types and start with an easier technique. (Read: Don’t go all Geisha and kick-off your sushi–making hobby with the Inside Out Roll unless you want to have a kitchen meltdown.) There are six main techniques: Thin Roll, Thick Roll, Hand Roll, Inside Out Roll (watch it), Nigiri, and Inari Zushi. Each will open you up to a world of new textures and kitchen adventures.

Tip #2: Cheat On White Rice. Traditional sticky white rice, a highly processed, simple carbohydrate, typically makes up 75% of the roll. For those trying to keep the muffin off their top, experiment with brown or multi-grained rice or quinoa for more health benefits. For best results when using alternative rices or grains, sushi guru Marisa Baggett, recommends making the roll with the seaweed on the outside—rather than the rice. If you’re eating out, another skinny option is to order “naruto,” which is a roll wrapped in cucumber instead of rice.

Tip #3: Get Creative. Get veggie wasted. Sushi is great with a wide-range of vegetables and fruits including avocado, cucumber, yams, portabella or oyster mushrooms, roasted asparagus, julienned carrots, mango, cauliflower, and red pepper. If you want to add more texture, you can also add nuts, sesame seeds, or marinated tofu—it adds a punch and is good for rice pressing.

Tip #4: Toss the Soy Sauce. Conventional soy sauce in sushi restaurants and on grocery shelves today is synthesized from hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) and then tossed with hydrochloric acid (no joke). Before being bottled, manufacturers add artificial food coloring and preservatives, tons ‘o salt, corn syrup, and refined sugars to make our taste buds go bat shit crazy. Swap it out for a healthier alternative like tamari, shoyu or one of our favorites, Bragg Liquid Aminos (non-GMO and contains 16 different amino acids!).

Tip #5: Dabble in Ginger, But Don’t Dive In. While that tangy side of pale pink deliciousness can help aid in digestion, boost immune function, and treat inflammation, pickled ginger is often high in sodium. Definitely tap into its pleasures to cleanse your palate, but don’t order a bowl of it (like I did before I researched for this article).

Tip #6: Make Nice with Nori. Nori, that crunchy seaweed that usually hugs your roll, is not only chock-full of vitamins and nutrients, including iron, magnesium, vitamins A, C, B, and E, but it’s only 5 to 10 calories per sheet! The sushi wrapper may also help prevent cancer and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. [Insert cartwheel here] Not down with the seaweed? Swap it out for cucumber or lettuce (this may prove challenging, but is a vegified treat).

Tip #7: Pinterest Is Your Friend. Vegan Sushi Burritos. Mango Sticky Rice Rolls. Vegan Sushi Napoleon. There are more fresh and innovative recipes on Pinterest than a Harajuku Girl could handle. Allow it to be your guide and share your own recipes!

Going Out for Sushi