Sushi-ish Bowl 🍣
If you follow me on social media, you will know that I practically, live, eat, breathe sushi. However, I can’t be ordering it everyday. I also try to practice a majority plant-based lifestyle and love to make this bowl to replicate the flavours of a sushi roll by remaining vegan! This bowl has all of the flavours, and textures of your favourite sushi rolls without being fried or saturated.
These sushi bowls start off with rice, of course, mixed with toasted, crumbled nori (the green seaweed casing for sushi rolls) OR your go-to salad kit(I like the sweet kale salad kit from Costco) and some vinegar, soy sauce and sweetener. I opted for wild rice, which is part of the reason why these bowls keep me satiated. Then, I topped the rice with my signature peanut tofu for protein, creamy avocado slices, crispy yams made with my air fryer, and of-course, some pickled ginger.
Vegan Sushi-ish Bowl🍣🤍
INGREDIENTS
Rice and seasonings
2 cups wild or brown short-grain rice, rinsed well
1 (8 by 8-inch) sheet dried nori
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar or agave nectar
½ teaspoon salt
Peanut TOFU
TOFU
12 ounces extra-firm tofu (organic & non-GMO if possible)
SAUCE
2 1/2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter or almond butter
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free // or sub coconut aminos but use more as it's less salty)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce
Everything else
1/2 Yam, diced
1 avocado, sliced
salad or nori if desired*
Recommended garnishes: sesame seeds (preferably black) and pickled ginger
DIRECTIONS
To cook the rice: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, pour in the rinsed rice and give it a stir. Boil the rice for 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and drain the rice. Return the rice to the pot and cover the pot. Let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
To prepare the rice seasoning: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice vinegar, tamari, sugar, and salt. Warm the mixture, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and toss with rice once it’s done steaming. Bake yams however you prefer, I use my air fryer.
To toast the nori: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the sheet of nori until it’s become crisp enough to crumble easily, flipping halfway, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and tear it into quarters. Crumble each piece into very small pieces in your hands over the rice and drop it into the pot. Stir the nori into the rice and set the rice aside to cool. If you do not have nori, you may use any other green as a base, such as salad mix, or spinach!
Divide the rice between four bowls. Top with Tofu, yams, avocado… sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with pickled ginger on the side.
TOFU
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
If your block of tofu is larger than 12 ounces, trim it down. Then drain your tofu and use a tofu press or wrap in an absorbent towel several times and place something heavy on top to press for 15-20 minutes.
Once pressed, slice tofu into roughly 1/2-inch cubes and arrange on the parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Ensure they aren't touching so they will crisp up. Bake for 20-25 minutes to dry/firm the tofu. NOTE: At 20 minutes, the tofu should be chewy, and at 25 minutes, the tofu should be more crispy. Bake according to preference.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce by adding peanut butter, sesame oil, tamari, maple syrup, and chili garlic sauce to a medium mixing bowl and whisking until combined. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more chili garlic sauce for heat, maple syrup for heat, or tamari for saltiness.
Add baked tofu to the peanut sauce and toss to coat. Let marinate for 10-15 minutes to saturate the tofu and infuse the flavor.
