Vegan Sushi Tutorial WITHOUT Sushi Roll Mat (shape variations + sushi rice recipe + filling ideas)

I think the BEST way to enjoy rice and veggies = SUSHI! They're just sooooo fun to make (and eat, of course), not to mention pleasing for the eyes ;)

There are endless options too! You can use white/brown/red/black rice, you can fill it with whatever you want (or whatever you have left in the fridge), use your creativity!

However, I've seen a lot of recipes online that doesn't 'season' the rice! Authentic, good sushi means the rice is seasoned = sushi rice. That's why when you go to a Japanese sushi restaurant, the sushi rice will have a slightly sweet-sour taste that makes it special! Otherwise it will be like you're eating plain rice + veggies + seaweed. Not bad, but not that good either! Below you'll find my 'healthy-fied' version of sushi rice!

As for the filling, here are some really good ideas for plant-based sushi! 

• cucumber (in restaurants usually called: kappa maki)
• avocado
• shiitake mushrooms
• seaweed (in restaurants usually called: wakame)
• aburaage tofu/inari pockets (in restaurants usually called: inari age / inari)
• leafy greens : I recommend combining this with other fillings
• carrots
• marinated cooked tofu

Of course you can use other vegetables that you like, but make sure to cut it into stick shapes if you want to roll it (see step-by-step picture below). These are just some traditional ideas that I really like!

Don't forget the soy sauce (shoyu) to dip!! If you're concerned about the sodium then you can use tamari or less-sodium soy sauce! Trust me, it tastes so much better with it, authentic too! This one is totally optional, but I like to mix in some wasabi paste *the green balls in the picture* (spicy) into my soy sauce, be careful not to add to much though!

Recipe

For the sushi rice:

• 2 cups dry rice (you can use white/brown/red/black rice or maybe mix them!)
• 2 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp mirin (or use more rice vinegar)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar/nectar (or regular sugar for a more authentic version)
• 1 tsp soy sauce (you can use tamari/less-sodium if you want)

For the sushi roll:

• sushi rice
• filling of your choice
• nori seaweed rolls
• a small bowl of water

Method

1. Cook 2 cups of dry rice of your choice according to package instructions.
2. In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, and coconut sugar. Pour this into the freshly cooked rice, toss the rice to let it absorb the seasoning evenly.

Now let's make the sushi rolls!

1. Place a nori sheet on a surface, shiny side down (the coarse/rougher side facing up). You can see from the picture that the nori has horizontal lines, that will help you roll it up, so be sure to place the sheet the right way!
2. Now, here's the trick! Pat the sushi rice evenly on the nori sheet, leaving gaps on the edges. Dip your fingers in the bowl of water first so that the rice won't stick to your fingers!
3. Place the filling on the end that's closest to you (where you will start rolling). Don't add too much/too little filling!
4. Grab the end of the nori (the empty space that you left), roll it until the filling is covered, gently press the roll. After that, continue rolling until you reach the end. Gently press the roll again to seal it. Yay you've made the first roll! Now repeat the process until you finish all the rice & filling!
5. Cut the rolls into your desired thickness (I find that 8 slices per roll is good). Serve with some soy sauce and wasabi (if you like some spicy-kick)!

*NOTE Variations:

• To make small, narrow rolls (like my white rice cucumber sushi), all you need to do is cut the nori sheet in half horizontally, which will make the sushi roll smaller!
• To make rolls that has rice on the outside part, simply flip the nori sheet after the second step (see method above), and add the filling on the empty side of the nori seaweed, then roll as usual!
• To make sushi balls, simply grab a small handful of sushi rice and roll it into a ball, then top with 'flexible' filling slices (avocado is a nice one).