Whether it’s a matter of asian background instincts or not, I am a lifelong SUSHI LOVER. Ever since I was little it’s been my favourite food (even more than dumplings!) and I feel like I may adore it even more now that I’m vegan. I remember being 12, and just starting High School, getting excited to buy some sushi with my measley pocket money on the way home from school. I’d get the special stuff: a deluxe box of the little pieces and the o-nigiri and sashimi (which grosses me out now), but it was such a sentimental thing. A sushi set like this usually costed around $12, so I’d have to save for a week or two just to have it that one afternoon after school. Bliss.
Now that I work and earn my own money I’m a bit more of a mammoth and just buy it whenever I damn feel like it ;)
...which is at least twice per week. Minus the fish!
What I want to make clear in today’s post is that sushi is NOT something you have to go without if you choose to go plant-based. I think it’s so much more satisfying and healthy! Fish flesh is loaded with crap you really don’t need, and no, it’s not any more of a ‘cleaner’ source of animal protein than any other meat. It’s still loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, no fibre and many large sea fish popular with sushi are heavily contaminated with dangerous carcinogens such as mercury. Google Minamata Disease.
Choosing vegan sushi options is really easy and I love how fresh and healthy it tastes. It makes such a light meal that will keep you satisfied, as long as you eat enough! One of the many many benefits of eating a plant-based diet is the volume of food you get to eat without worrying about your weight. I avoid avocado for my skin, so the sushi I order is super high carb and low in fat-- yay!
Here are some ideas for vegan sushi fillings, most sushi restaurants will cater for your specific orders!
>>Yoyogi Sushi<<
One of my favourite options at the moment (I order 4 during my work breaks) are these Maki Rolls that I ask for specially at a sushi shop in the shopping centre I work at. They are typical sushi rolls filled with slightly steamed carrot (texture is SPOT ON), cucumber and Takuan (pickled radish). I try to avoid takuan as a lot of conventional brands use MSG and other artificial food dyes, so these are a bit of a treat. These rolls are available at the counter but contain avocado, so the staff kindly make mine without. Love these.
>>Woolworths<<
This is a brown rice, kale and capsicum/bell pepper roll that I actually found at a Woolworths prepackaged! Delighted x100. My Woolies don’t have these :( I’m pretty sure we were out somewhere we don’t normally go, as this wasn’t my usual Woolworths and also I remember the ingredients listing soybean oil which was a bit frustrating but I was starving so I ordered it anyway. It was pretty good, not used to having kale in sushi but hey, they were probably catering for the vegans!
>>Sushi Train<<
Make way for bae #3. Mini cucumber maki rolls have been my obsession for about 2 years now. These were from a sushi train in Queensland, but I also order them from the sushi stall near my workplace. I could eat them for days-- one day I will definitely challenge myself to see how many I can get down. FOOD MONSTER. These are super light and simple if you’re after like a small snack or so, you won’t feel gross or heavy after eating them.
>>DIY<<
My nan is a sushi superstar. She’s also japanese so that explains a lot. When I was last in Queensland she made me endless vegan sushi which was such a treat, including these rolls which were DELICIOUS. She filled them with red capsicum, purple carrot, cuumber and a tiny bit of iceberg lettuce. So good! It’s so much cheaper to make your own sushi, so if you get the time and acquire some mad rolling skills… go for it!
>>DIY<<
In Queensland I was also treated to these rolls by my lovely grandmother who filled the sushi rolls with whatever was in the fridge: lettuce, red capsicum and shredded carrot. Bliss! SO healthy and fresh too.
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I'd also quickly like to share this video on why you're probably not going to want to order fish flesh in your sushi. It's unsustainable and so unhealthy. We're raised to believe we need fish for omega-3 but just remember once again that there are no nutrients in animal products that we cannot obtain from plants! Fish is loaded with nasties that should never enter the human body and we're stripping our oceans to the point of placing many fish and other aquatic life at risk of extinction. We don't want our oceans to be empty within a few years, so please educate yourself on these issues and help save the planet rather than poison/strip/destroy it xx