How about something a bit different for dinner tonight – Plant-Based Sushi Roll? It’s deceptively easy to make, and is deliciously filling. It’s also great for lunch or as a starter, and when served with pickled ginger, wasabi and a dipping sauce, it becomes more of an event than simply having lunch or dinner.
There are many different kinds of sushi that you can make, this one has the sea vegetable nori on the outside, others have it on the inside with the rice on the outside and coated with sesame seeds. You can make it with a whole variety of fillings, in these ones I’ve used more traditional fillings such as red pepper, cucumber and avocado.
Cooking the sushi brown rice is the longest part of this recipe as you generally have to rinse, then soak it for an hour, before cooking for it 40 minutes, then you leave it stand for 10 minutes, so the key is to plan when you want to make the sushi. I soaked it in the morning and then cooked it while I was going other things, so when it came time to make it, it was already done.
I’ve used the sea vegetable, nori, in this recipe, which is typical when you’re making a sushi roll. It’s packed with nutrients and as Dr Greger says:
“Sea vegetables have phytonutrients found nowhere else, special types of fibre, and unique carotenoids and polysaccharides, and various polyphenol defence compounds, each of which may have anti-cancer properties.” He goes on to say: “Nori may favourably alter estrogen metabolism by modulating women’s gut flora, resulting in decreased breast cancer risk.”
It not only tastes good, it’s brilliant for you. What more can you ask?
If you can’t find the nori, or the brown sushi rice, try your local health food store, whole food shop or the bigger supermarkets. They’re surprisingly easy to find. If all else fails, Amazon also sells them.
Depending upon your appetite, I’d suggest four to six rolls per person as a serving guide.
I hope you enjoy my nutritious and delicious new recipe for Plant-Based Sushi Roll as much as I do! Let me know below what you think of it.
Plant-Based Sushi
Ingredients
- 2 sheets of sushi nori cut into half
- 230 g cooked sushi brown rice
- 1/2 cucumber cut into match sticks
- 1/2 red pepper cut into match sticks
- 1/2 avocado cut into match sticks (a bit tricky, but doable!)
- 2 teaspoons brown rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mirin
Dipping sauce
- 3 tablespoons low salt soy sauce or Tamari
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- juice from one lime
- 1 bunch spring onions / scallions finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
- 2 tablespoons wasabi / horseradish
Instructions
- Cook the sushi brown rice as per the instructions on the packet.
- Once the rice is cooked, add the brown rice vinegar and 1tsp mirin and mix together.
- Place the nori with the shiny side down on a sushi mat, or a chopping board. Spread half the rice over the nori, leaving about 1cm/one third of an inch at the top.
- Along the centre of the rice, hollow out a space to place the cucumber and the red pepper. Then place the cucumber and red pepper in the hollow.
- It's now time to roll! Start by rolling from the point nearest to you, keeping the filling in with your fingers and firmly pressing - just watch you don't press too much so that the filling comes out at the ends!
- Finish rolling, and with another gentle press that's it made. You can now cut it into pieces. Try to make each slice about 3cm/1 inch in width. Cut by using a serrated edge knife and saw the sushi.
- Repeat, but instead of the cucumber and red pepper filling, use the avocado and the cucumber.
- It's now time to create the dipping sauce. Just place the soy sauce/Tamari, mirin, lime juice and spring onion/scallion in a small bowl and mix together. That's it! Super simple.
- Place on a plate and serve with picked ginger, wasabi and the dipping sauce.
If losing weight for your summer holidays is one of your goals, then consider following a whole food, plant-based diet and you’ll not only be able to eat this delicious Plant-Based Sushi Roll, you’ll be able to lose weight too!
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe.
Let me know in the comments section below. Thank you!
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