While living in Japan, I grew to love sushi, not only for its fresh flavors but also for the playful variety of colors and textures. When I saw Emma Galloway’s vegetarian sushi tutorial on Food52 last week, I decided to get creative and come up with my own variations. Like Emma, I love avocado + sesame seeds + mayo, so I made that one, then looked to other colors and flavors for inspiration. Beets, asparagus, cucumber, carrot, sprouts and baby lettuces also made great sushi fillings, I discovered. Then I wanted to mimic the texture of that orange roe (fish eggs) you often see atop sushi, so I made little carrot juice bubbles, thickening them with some cornstarch and piping out little spheres and letting them gel in the fridge. It was fun getting playful, creating a feast for both the palate and the eyes.
Who needs tuna when you’ve got these sweet & earthy beets?! I liked the beets best with a little cream cheese, sprouts, and black sesame seeds. I used the soft carrot bubbles to top the crunchiest of my sushi variations, a cucumber + carrot + chive mayo + baby lettuces combo; it provided some nice textural variety, not to mention that gorgeous bright orange color:
Emma’s tutorial on Food52 covers the sushi making basics, with a clear pictorial guide and directions. I found that I could simply use plastic wrap to roll mine; it was much easier for me than the bamboo mat. I prepped the filling and the carrot bubbles while the rice cooked & cooled. For some of my sushi rolls, I also added some grated carrot to the rice to give it more color & texture; this idea was inspired by some beautiful sushi I saw on Farm Fresh Feasts here.
I really loved playing with veggie sushi combinations, and these were my favorites:
Beets (I used canned baby beets, drained & chopped) + Cream Cheese + Sprouts + Black Sesame Seeds + Rice
Avocado + Chive Mayo + Baby Lettuces + Carrot/Rice + Black Sesame Seeds on Top
Cucumber + Carrot + Baby Lettuces + Sprouts + Chive Mayo + Rice + Carrot Bubbles on Top
Steamed Asparagus + Chive Mayo + Carrot/Rice + Extra Asparagus Tips on Top
I prepared a dipping bowl of soy sauce + wasabi for my sushi, but I liked them best straight, without dipping. Of course, one of my favorite things about eating sushi is the pickled ginger, so I did enjoy a few slivers of those between bites.
What about you? What sushi flavors inspire you? I challenge you to get playful with colors and textures and let your eyes and palates feast on your creations. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Sushi, Maki Style
Adapted from Emma Galloway’s lovely vegetarian sushi tutorial on Food52
- 2 cups short-grain white Asian rice (I use Nishiki)
- 2 and 1/4 cups cold water
- 5 Tbs. rice vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 Tbs. white granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
- 6 nori seaweed wrappers
- sushi fillings of choice (e.g. beets, avocado, asparagus, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, sprouts, sesame seeds, cream cheese, chive mayo, homemade “carrot bubbles,” etc.)
- pickled ginger for palate-cleansing between bites
- soy sauce and wasabi paste for dipping
- To cook the rice: Pour two cups of rice into a pot and add some water. Swirl and swish the rice around in the water to wash the grains, then gently tip out the water as you hold the rice in the pot with one hand. Add more fresh water and swish the grains of rice around again, then drain again. Repeat one more time and drain. Add 2 and 1/4 cups water to the pot and heat over medium heat to a boil; cover and reduce the heat as low as possible while maintaining a slow simmer. Keep the lid on and let it simmer constantly for 15 minutes. Remove from heat (do not lift the lid) and let sit for 15 minutes before you open the lid.
- To make the sushi rice seasoning, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and stir to help dissolve. Heat over low heat and bring it to a simmer while stirring and letting it thicken for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Wash, slice, and prep the filling ingredients of your choice.
- To make the carrot bubbles: Combine 1/4 cup carrot juice and 1 tsp. cornstarch in a cold pot and stir with a wooden spoon until it dissolves. Add a little salt if you’d like and stir to let that dissolve. Then heat slowly over low to medium heat and stir vigorously when it starts to bubble. Turn the heat down and continue stirring and heating for a couple minutes as it thickens. Then take off the heat and pour it into a cool bowl. Using a clean turkey baster, scoop up some of the gelling liquid and gently dot some parchment paper on a tray (see picture above, top left), trying to form them into spheres as much as possible (mine differed greatly in size; that’s okay). Let the bubbles chill in the fridge while you continue prepping and making the sushi.
- When rice is cooked and cooled, add the cooled seasoning to it and mix gently with a spatula, careful not to mash the grains of rice. Spread it onto a tray to cool. If you’d like to add grated carrot to some of the rice, separate a portion of rice and grate carrot with a microplane grater and gently mix.
- When ready to roll the sushi, place a piece of parchment paper down first to prevent any sticking or messes, then a layer of plastic wrap, then the first nori sheet. Have bowls of prepped ingredients and a bowl of cold water nearby for dipping your fingers and spatula to prevent sticking. Using a wet spatula and/or hands, lay one layer of rice on top of the nori in a rectangle, leaving a slight margin closest to you, and about a 1-inch margin on the end farthest from you. Lay the fixings of choice horizontally across the middle on top of the rice. Wet the nori sheet in the margin at the top (this will help it all stick together when you’re done rolling). Roll it up with the plastic wrap from the end closest to you, using your fingers and excess wrap on the sides to tuck the ends in as you go. It helps to keep the plastic wrap snug over the roll and squeeze gently as you go. Let the maki roll rest in the plastic wrap as you finish the other five rolls.
- Use a large, clean & sharp knife to slice each maki roll into 6 to 8 pieces, cleaning the knife between each slice. You can top the sushi pieces with extra garnishes, including asparagus tips, more sprouts, an extra sprinkling of sesame seeds, chives, or the carrot bubbles. To use the carrot bubbles, use a toothpick to gently roll/pluck the bubbles off the parchment paper and onto the sushi (picture above, bottom left).
May 14, 2014 at 6:37 pm
As well as sounding delicious, these are absolutely beautiful! The ‘carrot bubbles’ are so imaginative! I love veggie sushi but have never made it, it must be time 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 1:00 pm
Thank you, Natalie! I hope you give it a try 🙂
May 14, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Wow!! they look amazing!!
May 15, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Thanks, Elaine, they were fun to make & eat! I’m dreaming of the next combos I might try…
May 15, 2014 at 2:09 pm
Cool!!
May 14, 2014 at 7:49 pm
This is fantastic Laura. We just made sushi the other night and although my family loves loves nigiri I am not a fan. I usually make a udon soup for myself, however….now that I have seen your post I must have another sushi night this weekend and try some of your ideas. You are so creative! I would love to try to make the carrot bubbles!
May 15, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Thanks, I’m glad you like the carrot bubbles, they were the most fun part 🙂 My little one is intrigued by the look of sushi but won’t try it; I would love to have a family sushi night! Let me know how your next sushi night goes, especially if you try the crazy carrot bubbles 😉
May 14, 2014 at 7:51 pm
This looks like an artist’s canvas! Gorgeous is short of praise for this feast. I love veg sushi. One of my Japanese friend made these awesome cucumber carrot and cream cheese sushis. I am gonna make them soon! Thanks :).
May 15, 2014 at 1:08 pm
Thank you! I too like that crunchy cucumber-carrot and cream cheese one. I hope you share your creations, they’re sure to be beautiful and inspiring, can’t wait to see!
May 14, 2014 at 8:04 pm
What an awesome array of decorated sushi, a true feast for the eyes. I have bought nori wraps and was wondering if I had to get a bamboo mat next. So, is it not necessary?
May 14, 2014 at 8:08 pm
Thanks! I didn’t find the bamboo mat necessary; I had it to use but the plastic wrap worked best for me. I’d love to see/hear what you create 🙂
May 14, 2014 at 10:22 pm
Beautiful! Gorgeous colors and the plating is lovely. They sound delicious. 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Thanks, Nancy! I had (too much) fun with these.
May 14, 2014 at 11:26 pm
I can’t make sushi! Just never turned out looking the way they’re supposed to. Same thing with summer rolls. And of course, those are my two favorite things! More practice is needed, I think. A lot more! The carrot bubbles I think I can manage. What an incredibly creative idea. Thank you, Laura, for sharing it with us. ❤
May 15, 2014 at 1:14 pm
What? Angie, you totally can make sushi, I promise. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just roll and tuck it all in there 🙂 A sharp knife is key while slicing, though. That can be a tricky part, but just wipe the blade clean after each slice and make sure it’s sharp. Summer rolls are on my to-do list, we’ll see how that goes! Thanks for your kind words, Angie – You are among the most creative & talented I know.
May 14, 2014 at 11:56 pm
Wow these look amazing, those carrot bubbles are incredible!
May 15, 2014 at 1:18 pm
Haha, I’m so glad you like the carrot bubbles. Incredible, or crazy?! They were fun to make and tasted really intensely carrot-y 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 6:06 am
Carrot bubbles?? I love this, Laura! Your shots are amazing, by the way. 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Thank you, Patty! I had fun making & eating these. The hardest part was the photography – I wish I had an eye like yours; I never seem to see the details of composition until I get the shot up on my computer screen, and then it’s too late ;( But I’m learning, and the learning process is mostly fun too.
May 16, 2014 at 6:23 am
Oh Laura, I’m the same way still! I get so annoyed when I don’t realize something until I download the photos onto the computer. GRR. By then I’ve eaten whatever it was I made!
May 15, 2014 at 6:52 am
Wow, those look great! So colorful… 🙂 I haven’t been too creative when it comes to sushi. I have made it myself a few times but used salmon and tuna basically. I love yours better! 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Thank you! I really wanted to play with contrasting bright colors. I’d never made exclusively vegetarian sushi like this before but enjoyed focusing on the variety of vegetables and their flavors/textures/colors.
May 15, 2014 at 11:54 am
Saw this on FG. Gorgeous & pinned!
May 15, 2014 at 1:23 pm
Thank you so much! Happy you like it and you visited 🙂
May 15, 2014 at 7:22 pm
looks delicious !! so creative “carrot bubbles” & food photography !!
May 15, 2014 at 8:15 pm
So glad you like it – thank you!
May 15, 2014 at 8:22 pm
I adore veg maki so much, but the only filling I ever really have is avocado, since I prefer it to cucumber, and those are the only two flavours of maki-style sushi at my favourite sushi place. I’ve never made sushi at home, partly because of what looks like a tricky process of rolling the… rolls, but more simply because the ingredients for Japanese cooking are quite particular, so I don’t just have them “to hand” unlike say the spices which are common to cuisines from areas as varied as Mexico to Egypt:p I’m happy just scoffing avocado – they’re so delicious, especially with soy sauce and wasabi, how couldn’t I be?? – but there are so many potential new flavours here… I’m going to have to make a point of trying it at some point. Beautiful recipe and photos, in particular those carrot bubbles! So clever.
May 20, 2014 at 1:30 pm
Thanks, I hope you try these! I love avocado too, and there’s so much more to try 🙂
May 16, 2014 at 12:35 am
Your fake fish roe caught my eye. I wondered what it was, I cannot believe it is carrot!! So cute and inventive. I am amazed!
May 20, 2014 at 1:31 pm
Thanks, Weebirdie, I got that zany idea because I really love the bright orange color of roe but I don’t always like the salty taste on my sushi 🙂
May 16, 2014 at 3:48 am
How creative and beautiful!! Love the idea of vegetarian sushi!.
May 20, 2014 at 1:32 pm
Thank you! The options for vegetarian sushi are endless. I had fun with these!
May 17, 2014 at 3:10 pm
I don’t know how I missed this post but wow, is that sushi beautiful, creative and delicious. Those photo’s jump off the page wishing they would land in my mouth. Amazing!
May 20, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Thanks, I enjoyed these. Sometimes I think vegetarian dishes look the most beautiful and colorful on the plate! I had fun taking these photos (and eating the props).
May 19, 2014 at 10:04 am
Your sushi look like art work! I’m still such a novice when it comes to sushi…but you are inspiring me!
May 20, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Thanks so much! I’m a sushi novice too but had fun experimenting. Hope you try it!
May 20, 2014 at 3:42 pm
They are beautiful…
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