Vegetarian SushiPosted on 2008/07/06 16:38:22 (July 2008). Contrary to popular belief, sushi doesn't have to involve raw fish - that's sashimi. Sushi is any item involving vinegared rice, and I've had quite a few types of vegetarian sushi both in Japan and elsewere in the world.
To start with, there are several standard vegetarian fillings for maki sushi which, although not very exciting, are pretty easy to find. Perhaps most common of all is cucumber - these are called kappamaki. Also fairly common are takuan (pickled raddish) and kanpyo (gourd).
I love umeboshi (pickled plums) and find they make a very tasty filling for maki sushi, although I guess this is considered a little unrefined, as I haven't seen it done in restaurants.
Various other types of Japanese pickle also find their way into sushi occasionally - such as pickled nasu (aubergine / eggplant), hakusai (chinese leaf) or Hiroshimana - a pickled leaf vegetable which is a regional speciality of Hiroshima.
Tamago (literally egg, in the context of sushi it generally refers to a Japanese omelette) is also a commonly found item in sushi restaurants, either as a nigiri sushi (a thin slice of omelette balanaced on a block of rice) or sometimes with the rice actually stuffed inside a slice of omelette. However, sometimes dashi (fish stock) is used in making these omelettes so be careful when ordering in restaurants.
I've occasionally had shiitake mushrooms as part of sushi too - typically cooked first and then served as a nigiri. Again you may need to be careful if ordering these in restuarants as they may be cooked in dashi. Alternatively they can be very nice if just grilled and flavoured with a little ponzu.
Inari sushi - those little deep fried tofu pockets filled with sushi rice - are a particular favourite of mine. Whilst it would be unusual to find these in a sushi restaurant in Japan, you can buy the cases in Japanese food shops and they're easy enough to make at home. I also found ready filled inari were widely available in supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan, and I practically lived on these while I was working there.
Avocado goes very well with sushi, either as temaki or nigiri. I quite often have avocado as part of a Japanese meal just "sashimi style" - i.e. just sliced up and put on a plate, then dipped in soy sauce and wasabi immediately prior to eating.
Fresh yuba (the sublimely creamy tasting skin from tofu) is also sometimes eaten "sashimi style" although presumably due to its' delicate flavour I have never seen it used directly as part of any kind of sushi.
Similarly Konnyaku is also often eaten sashimi style, although I have to admit I'm not particularly a fan.
Here in the UK I've seen a few attempts to make vegetarian sushi with more domestically available vegetables like peppers, green beans and asparagus - although I have to say I'm generally not that impressed. All these vegetables are also available in Japan, and if they don't regularly use them in sushi there, there's probably a reason for that!
A couple of other specialities I've had - I imagine these are hard to find outside of Japan:
Hawasabi - the leaves from wasabi plants, pickled. Typically as a temaki sushi. These have a slightly milder taste than the root, although can still be fairly fiery, and also have a great crunchy texture. A particular favourite of mine.
Umibudo - literally "sea grapes". This is a type of seaweed, which looks very much as the name suggests, although reassuringly the "grapes" are very small - a similar size and appearance to some types of fish eggs. This is typically served as a temaki or a gunkan.
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