Vegan sushi is not only for Japanese!

If you are a vegan, there are many dishes that you might think are not for you. This is because they are primarily animal-based food. Sushi is one such food which is very popular but, most vegans think they will not be able to enjoy it. So, what is sushi…well, it is a Japanese dish which primarily contains rice prepared in a specific way. Apart from rice, it contains seafood and vegetables. The seafood in sushi is raw most of the times, however, it can also be cooked. In this article, we will see how sushi is traditionally made and how the vegan sushi is prepared. There is a way in which sushi rice is prepared. Sushi is usually prepared from Japonica, which is a medium grained rice. The rice is cooked with vinegar, salt, sugar and other seasonings.  Moreover, fish is the most common ingredient in sushi. Sushi is basically of two types – Nigiri and Maki. Nigiri sushi is simpler to make. It is basically an oval shape of rice covered with a slice of fish or seafood from the top. The rice can simply be made into oval shape through hands and the seafood is then placed on the top to cover the rice.

Another type of sushi is Maki sushi. This is prepared in a different way in comparison to the nigiri sushi. In this, rice as well as fish are rolled into an outer thin cover which is called nori. Nori (the outer covering is made from seaweed). Apart from fish or seafood, some vegetables can also be rolled into the seaweed covering along with the rice.

Now, in order to prepare vegan sushi, the seafood needs to be replaced with a vegan meat that is a kind of artificial fish. There are plant-based faux fish options available that can be easily used in the vegan sushi. Apart from this, we can use vegetables and plant-based meat in our sushi.

Vegetarian sushi ingredients

Making vegan/vegetarian sushi at home is quite easy. Some common ingredients that is required to make vegan sushi are as follows:

• Sushi rice
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Sugar
• Mock fish
• Nori sheet
• Vegetables

Finely chopped vegetables are required to roll along with rice and mock fish. If you are preparing nigiri sushi, the veggies can be mixed along with the oval shaped rice or can be placed between the rice and the piece of artificial fish or meat.

The choice of vegetables depends upon your taste and preferences. Some common vegetables that can be used in vegan sushi are – onions, mushrooms, cucumber, carrots, tomato, cabbage and radish. Onions, mushrooms, carrots and tomato are the best choice and you can manage to prepare nice, tasty sushi with just these veggies.

Cooking rice in a proper way is the most important thing while you are making sushi. The rice needs to be cooked on a low flame. Once cooked, mix vinegar, salt and sugar in a bowl and heal it unit the sugar dissolves. Now, add this with the rice that you have prepared and mix it well.

There are several mock fish options in the market that use can use in your vegan sushi. You can use Good Catch plant-based sea food options or you can even use plant-based meat instead of fish. Plant-based meat options from companies like Beyond Meat and Meatless can be used in your vegan sushi. If you like seitan, which is a wheat gluten based faux meat, you can also use the same in your sushi.

Sushi is popular in United States

Sushi is a Japanese food. But it has become popular all over the globe. Sushi is the most popular Japanese food that is consumed in the United States. In the U.S., there are over 4,500 restaurants that sell sushi. In-fact, sushi is being consumed in the United States right from 1960s.

Now, with such an extreme popularity, there are various innovations that are happening to this Japanese food. For example, there are restaurants in the U.S., selling vegan sushi using plant-based ingredients and faux fish.

As more individuals in the U.S. are including vegan food in their diet, innovative vegan food options can be seen in the restaurants in the United States. Some of the restaurants selling vegan sushi are:

• Vegan House (Los Angeles, California)
• Kotobuki (Norfolk , Virginia)
• Beyond Sushi (New York)
• Franchia Vegan Café (New York)
• Sticky Rice (Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia)
• Minako Organic Japanese Restaurant (California)
• Loving Vegan (New Mexico)

Sushi is also loved in Europe

It is not just the United States, but sushi is a popular food everywhere. In Europe, the food is consumed in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and most other countries. Sushi was introduced in the European market much after the United States but the trend picked up very fast. In the UK alone, there are over 300 high end restaurants that sell sushi. There are even restaurants selling vegan sushi in Europe.

Sushi is popular as it is healthy

Sushi is a healthy food. It does not include any fried material. Most vegetables and even sea food that is used is raw in nature. Even if they are cooked, they are just steamed. Fish is a healthier alternative to meat. It is a healthy food with high amount of omega-3 fatty acids (contained in the fish or sea food). Eating fish is good for heart as well as brain. 

Developed countries are liking sushi as it is good for health. Sushi is a good weight management diet as it is free from unhealthy fats. You can consume sushi regularly without doing harm to your health. It is totally different from most outdoor foods that are deep fried and contain unhealthy ingredients.

If you are eating vegan sushi, that is equally healthy. Moreover, it keeps you away from the guilt of causing harm to a living creature. Vegan sushi is leaded with veggies and plant-based fish/meat.

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