I’m really not a roses and chocolates kinda girl. All the Valentines’ recipes for pretty pink soups and dainty heart-shaped desserts doing the rounds at the moment really aren’t for me. But a heart-shaped vegan sushi platter? Now you’re talking…. (I know, my poor husband…!).
The idea of an ‘easy’ sushi platter might be a bit hard to believe, and I’m not promising this is super-speedy, (you’re probably looking at about 40 minutes prep time, and then 30 minutes assembly of the sushi – you could prep the night before if you don’t have time to do it all in one go). But there’s nothing difficult about making sushi, just follow the instructions and my little videos below, and you can’t go wrong. (Probably).
Here’s what you will need pictured above – yes, a few specialist ingredients, but I got all of these in a large-ish supermarket so you shouldn’t need to go out of your way or to multiple shops to find them.
I had never made sushi before, and look how mine turned out – you can do it too, no excuses! A few key tips not to miss in the instructions are:
- Wet your spoon when spreading the rice over the nori sheets – this makes everything a lot easier, I promise.
- Wet your knife before cutting every slice – I had a tall glass of water and dipped the knife in between every cut. This stops the rice from sticking to it, for really clean and neat slices. (Oh, and your knife should be really sharp too).
- Wet your hands when shaping the Nigiri – for the same reason, it stops the rice from sticking to you and everything you touch!
- Squeeze tightly as you roll everything up – the tighter the roll, the neater your finished sushi will be.
And becuase I think it is always so much easier to watch someone do something than read pages of instructions, here are some little how-to videos to help you on your way.
Pickled Carrot & Ginger Maki Rolls:
Tenderstem & Avocado California Rolls:
Roasted Pepper Nigiri:
Peas ‘n’ Carrots California Rolls:
Its as easy as that, I promise! Why not give it a go? And don’t forget to send me pictures of your very own sushi platter on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to show me how you got on!
This recipe makes 4 different types of sushi, Pickled Carrot & Ginger Maki Rolls, Tenderstem & Avocado California Rolls, Roasted Pepper Nigiri and Peas 'n' Carrots California Rolls.
In addition to the ingredients listed below you will need a bamboo sushi rolling mat, and cling film.
- 250 g sushi rice
- 1/2 yellow pepper
- 1 carrot (large - or two small)
- 6 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 stalks tenderstem broccoli
- 2 tbsp frozen peas
- 4 sheets sushi nori (roasted seaweed sheets)
- 2 tbsp sushi ginger
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1/2 avocado
- soy sauce (to serve, in a dipping bowl)
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Begin by preparing the sushi rice. Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then tip it into a saucepan and add 330ml of water. Bring it to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes covered with a lid. Then turn off the heat and leave it to stand for 30 minutes, without removing the lid.
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Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF / Gas Mark 4. Remove the seeds from the yellow pepper, and place it (skin side up) onto a baking tray. Drizzle or spray with a little oil, and roast for 25 minutes until it is soft and the skin is just starting to brown at the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
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To pickle the carrot: peel and trim the ends off, then cut it into very fine matchsticks, either by hand or using a julienne slicer or peeler. Place the carrot into a shallow bowl or tupperware container. Mix together 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour this over the carrot and mix to combine, then pour over a little warm water until the carrots are just covered. Chill in the fridge until needed.
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To cook the tenderstem broccoli and peas: place them into a microwaveable bowl with 2 tbsp water. Cover with a lid or cling film with a small hole, and microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
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When the rice has completely cooled, tip in 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and mix thoroughly with a fork until fully combined.
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(See video above). Lay a sheet of nori on the bamboo rolling mat. Spoon about a quarter of the rice onto the nori, and use the back of a wet spoon to spread it to the edges of the nori sheet, leaving about a centimetre at each end to allow it to stick together when rolled.
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Place a line of sushi ginger along the rice, followed by a line of pickled carrot (about half the carrot - you will need the rest later).
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Use a wet finger to slightly dampen the edges of the nori sheet, then roll it up tightly, (moving the bamboo mat out of the way as you go, so it isn't trapped inside!). Squeeze the bamboo mat as you go to make the roll as tight and neat as possible.
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Fill a tall glass with water, and dip your sharpest knife into it - you will need to wet it again every time you cut through the roll, to stop the rice sticking to it as you cut. Trim the ends off the roll, then slice the roll into 8 equal slices.
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(See video above). Lay a sheet of cling film on the bamboo rolling mat, followed by a sheet of nori. Spoon about a quarter of the rice onto the nori, and use the back of a wet spoon to spread it to the edges of the nori sheet.
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Sprinkle 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tbsp black sesame seeds over the rice, then cover it with another sheet of cling film. Flip over the nori so that the rice is now face down, and peel off the cling film over the nori sheet.
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Lay the pieces of tenderstem broccoli in a line across the nori, then de-stone and slice the avocado and lay this on top of the broccoli.
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Roll everything up tightly, (moving the remaining cling film and bamboo mat out of the way as you go, so they aren't trapped inside!). Squeeze the bamboo mat as you go to make the roll as tight and neat as possible.
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Use your sharp, wet knife to trim the ends off the roll, then slice the roll into 8 equal slices.
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Cut six equal-sized rectangles from the roasted pepper, (save the offcuts for hummus sandwiches... yum!). Turn them skin-side down, then lay a slice of sushi ginger on each one.
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Take a dessertspoon full of rice, wet your hands, and squeeze and shape it into roughly the same shape as a pepper slice. Mould the rice onto the pepper slice with your hands.
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Cut strips of nori about half a centimetre wide, then dampen each one with a wet finger, and wrap one around each pepper and rice mound.
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(See video above). Lay a sheet of cling film on the bamboo rolling mat, followed by a sheet of nori. Spoon about a quarter of the rice onto the nori, and use the back of a wet spoon to spread it to the edges of the nori sheet.
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Sprinkle 1 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tbsp black sesame seeds over the rice, then cover it with another sheet of cling film. Flip over the nori so that the rice is now face down, and peel off the cling film over the nori sheet.
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Squash the peas with the back of a fork, and put them in a line across the nori, then place the remaining pickled carrots on top of the peas.
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Roll everything up tightly, (moving the remaining cling film and bamboo mat out of the way as you go, so they aren't trapped inside!). Squeeze the bamboo mat as you go to make the roll as tight and neat as possible.
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Use your sharp, wet knife to trim the ends off the roll, then slice the roll into 8 equal slices.
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Serve the sushi with a dipping bowl of soy sauce.
Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later, or to share with friends → → → → →
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There are plenty of quick and easy vegan recipes in my new book, ‘Vegan in 15‘*. Hop over to Amazon for a look. Thanks for your support!
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I’m linking this recipe with CookBlogShare hosted this week by Everyday Healthy Recipes
February 18, 2018 at 9:13 pm
Love the combination of colours of your sushi. My wife makes kimbap which is similar to sushi. We also use cucumber as a filling as well.
Leo Tat recently posted…What Is Magnesium Good For? 37 Health Benefits, Deficiency, Side Effects
May 5, 2018 at 8:15 am
Thanks for the step videos and ingredient ideas. Your sushi looks great!