How to Make Vegetarian Sushi | Mizkan Chef
Sushi served on black tray

How to Make Vegetarian Sushi

2nd November, 2021

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish popular across the world, mainly made of raw seafood and vegetables accompanied by steamed vinegared rice.

This blog post will inspire chefs to make unique vegetarian sushi dishes catered specially for vegetarian customers that love Japanese cuisine.

Vegetarian sushi recipes

Let’s explore two exciting vegetarian sushi recipes that can be added to your restaurant menu.

Aubergine sushi

Sushi served on black tray

As a chef, it’s important to craft your own identity and experiment with things that aren’t traditional, for example, creating an aubergine sushi dish.

Sushi rice ingredients

  • 500g Sushi rice
  • 100ml Rice vinegar – use Mizkan Chef’s spirit vinegar, Shiragiku, for a refined taste
  • 50ml Maple syrup (optional)
  • 20g Salt

Filling ingredients

  • 4 Nori sheets
  • 1 Aubergine
  • 100g Baby spinach
  • 25g Carrots
  • 25g Cucumber
  • 2g Sesame seeds
  • 10ml Toasted sesame oil
  • 10ml Soy sauce
  • 10ml Maple syrup
  • 10ml Rice vinegar

Preparation method

1. Prepare sushi rice

2. Toast sesame seeds until golden and crush them once cooked.

3. Prepare marinade for aubergine: mix sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and crushed sesame seeds and set aside.

4. Cut the aubergine vertically, salt both sides of each half and set aside for 60 minutes. Rinse the salt and dry the slices with a paper towel.

5. Heat sesame oil in a pan, add aubergine halves and allow them to cook and char on each side for 5 minutes. Once cooled, cut them into long strips and coat in the marinade prepared earlier.

6. Vertically slice carrots and cucumbers.

Wrap ingredients together

1. Wrap sushi mat in cling film. Place nori sheet on top of the mat, rough side upwards.

2. Evenly spread sushi rice on the nori sheet, leaving a 1cm margin at the top for sealing. Press the rice down into the mat with the back of a spoon.

3. Place all the filling ingredients in the middle of the nori sheet. Roll the sheet using the mat, squeezing tightly to make sure everything is bonded. When reaching the end of the roll, brush water on the margin left to seal properly.

4. Cut the roll into 5 pieces and serve with the leftover marinade or soy sauce.

Coconut tempura tofu sushi

Sushi rolls served in a white plate

Break tradition with another exciting vegetarian recipe that will appeal to customers that not only love sushi but also enjoy trying unusual new dishes.

Sushi ingredients

  • Quinoa
  • 120ml Rice vinegar such as Yumai
  • 25ml Honey
  • 25g Sugar
  • 5g Salt

Filling ingredients

  • 250g Tofu
  • 100g Flour
  • 100g Cornflour
  • 1g Salt
  • 100ml Carbonated water
  • Ice cubes
  • 100g Unsweetened shaved coconut
  • 50g Panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 Nori sheets
  • 30g Cabbage
  • 30g Carrot
  • 30g Onion
  • 100g Avocado

Preparation method

1. Rice seasoning preparation: mix vinegar, honey, sugar, and salt.

2. Coconut batter preparation: mix flour, cornflour, salt, carbonated water, ice cubes, coconut, and breadcrumbs.

3. Rice preparation: mix quinoa and water in a pan on medium heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add half of the rice seasoning into cooked quinoa and spread a thin layer onto a cutting board and let it cool for 10 minutes. Turn it over and cool for 5 more minutes and set aside in a non-metal bowl, covered with a damp cloth.

4. Drain excess moisture from the tofu and cut vertically. Lightly dust with cornflour and coat with coconut batter. Fry until golden brown on all sides.

5. Thinly slice all other vegetables and wrap all the ingredients together using the same rolling method mentioned above.

We hope these two unique recipes have sparked some inspiration for the next time you’ll be developing a vegetarian sushi dish for your restaurant.

For further information on the products mentioned in the blogpost, please get in touch with us or sign up to our newsletter for all the latest recipes, news and trends related to Japanese cuisine.

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