I love sushi but I’m getting a little tired of the same ol’ avocado roll, the ubiquitous cucumber roll or a variation of pretty much the same vegetables in a combination roll. I have been to a few Japanese restaurants that do have innovative veggie rolls, but those are usually the exception.
It just seems like the possibilities for creating new and interesting veggie sushi is endless and really unexplored. So I’m going to venture forward and give it a shot myself.
For this first attempt, I didn’t have any sushi rice and knew better than to try to substitute it with long grain rice. I made a hand roll instead with king oyster mushrooms in a spicy sauce, avocado, cucumber and romaine lettuce.
I was very happy and pleased with this taste combination. It’s got a nice balance between the spicy and the cool, the chewy and the crunchy.
But I do need to work on my nori toasting technique – 1. I almost burned myself waving it around a flame 2. The nori did catch on fire (it was quickly put out) and 3. Now it smells all burnt-like in the kitchen.
Despite all that, I believe it’s a successful, good start.
Unique! Pretty! Enticing! What’s the spicy sauce?
Looks great! I bet it would be good with the sushi rice too. I’m also curious what the spicy sauce is. One thing I tried and liked with my sushi was to use french fried onions. It gives a nice crunch that I really enjoyed.
That picture is beautiful! I hope you’re able to get the burnt smell out of your kitchen. :-)
Absolutely gorgeous! And thank you for playing with fire for the vegan cause. :)
Jain – Thanks! The spicy sauce is just vegan mayo mixed with hot chili sauce.
Ellen – Yes, sushi rice would be great in the hand roll. I’ve never tried french fried onions in sushi, that’s a great idea. It sounds so delicious. Thanks for the tip!
Jennifer – Thanks! Fortunately, the burnt smell went away shortly afterwards.
Lisa – Thanks!
I’m not a particular fan of sushi, but oh my, this looks fantastic.
looks like one excellent start & a glorious combination to me! mmmmmmmmmmm!
This sounds great! I’d love to play around with different mushrooms in as well.
Thanks everyone!
That sure is a beautiful roll!
On warmer days and just when I do not feel like rice, I use Jicama. Pulse to rice like consistency in a food processor and press out the extra liquid. I use cheese cloth so I can just squeeze out the juice. I have been really happy with it and the result is so fresh (which makes sense as it is based on a raw recipe).
I just stubled upon your site and I really like it. Thank you for your effort.
Melisser – Thanks! It was tasty too!
Greg – Wow, I would never have thought to use jicama instead of rice. Sounds very fresh and light! Thanks for the tip! Glad you like the blog. :-)
I really really love your picture, it really seduce the diner visually, so beautifully presented. I am sure it will excite the taste buds :)
Chow Vegan, planning to have a Chow Vegan Cafe?
BTW, I just find out that there are many ways to do up sushi, just don’t have the time to try them yet.
clingfilm sushi, easy hand-formed sushi, inside-out sushi, pressed sushi, rice paper parcel sushi, cabbage parcel sushi, tempura vegetable hand rolls ….
But your is something new to me and it don’t need sushi rice!
Hi, I just stumble on your site and bookmarked it. Thanks for being up!
I am so making this right now! It looks delicious.
Also, I usually toast my nori using a frying pan. I’m scared to try an open flame because of the risk of burning myself.
Thanks again for the meal inspiration!
Crystal – Thanks! No plans for a cafe. :-) I’m finding out about all the different type of sushi too. There’s so many yet I always see the same basic veggie rolls at restaurants.
Roger – Thanks, glad you like the blog! Awesome tip on using a frying pan to roast the nori, that’s a lot safer than me waving it around a flame like a fool. I just saw at the store, nori already toasted, I’m going to try that next time I need to buy nori.