Adapting to a plant-based diet
Some foods are slightly more difficult to adapt for plant-based eating however that has not stopped me yet from working on translating foods that I used to enjoy eating! Homemade vegan nori rolls are in my top 5 favorite foods. And when they are homemade, they are much more affordable! There are a few caveats though, “mock” fish can be highly processed soy or seitan (wheat gluten) and can be difficult to digest and filled with unwanted food additives. If you are not plant-based, there are concerns regarding where fish are being raised and overfishing in the ocean. So there are compelling reasons to think about less or no fish in the diet. EWG is one source to look at if you are eating fish to determine the safety of the fish you are eating though, at this point, I do not recommend it.
Making vegan nori rolls at home
Homemade vegan nori rolls can also be a fantastic way to make vegetables interesting. We generally find the rolls to be pricy at the store so we save them as a “treat food” when shopping. Most importantly, making them at home reduces the cost considerably. All the varieties of flavor with vibrant veggies rolled compactly with sushi rice has never failed us. Some rolls don’t roll quite as evenly while other rolls are balanced brilliantly even though I haven’t done anything differently – at least from my point of view. Though if I am honest, being mindful while stacking the ingredients always makes a difference. Likewise, taking my time to fold over the roll matters too.
What is in the vegan nori roll pictured?
There are so many options as to how to create a homemade nori roll. The first step is to purchase nori sheets, sushi rice, and rice vinegar next time you are grocery shopping as this is the starting point. From here, you can make nori rolls anytime you are interested. I love to see what is in the fridge and create flavor blends from what I have available. The beauty of eating plant-based is that you have so many options and combinations.
Here is the list for what is in the role picture above:
Blanched Asparagus/Kale, Toasted Nori, Shredded Carrots, Faux tuna (see below), Avocado, Sriracha sauce, Kimchi, Sushi rice
I also love to add fermented foods like kimchi. It has a wonderful bite and beneficial probiotics to boot. Interested in fermented foods, check out this post. Here are the instructions on how to make it!
Homemade Vegan Nori Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Pickled burdock root per nori – be sure that it does not have MSG on the package if you get from an Asian market
- 1/2 cup Blanched asparagus/kale – boil in hot water for 60 seconds and then remove to cool water bath
- 4 Toasted nori sheets
- 2 Shredded carrots – use a julienne or vegetable slicer
- 1/2 cup Faux tuna – sunflower/almond/umeboshi/lemon/dulce seaweed mixture
- 1 Avocado – sliced
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1 cup Sushi rice cooked
- 1/4 cup Kimchi – unpasterizued so that it has benefical probitoics
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
Making the Faux Tuna
- In food processor, blend 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup raw almonds with outer cover removed (can also use blanched almonds), 1 tsp umeboshi plum paste, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp dulce seaweed
Making Sushi Rice
- How to tutorial link from Food Network
Putting the rolls together
- Toast the nori roll over medium heat for about 10 seconds. Then place onto a bamboo roller. Some peopel put plastic over the bamboo roller however I do not do this.
- Add the sushi rice placing gently over approx half of the nori sheet.
- Begin layering your other ingredients lengthwise.
- I generally put the flatter ingredients (greens, kimchi) first and long thin ingredients last.
- You can add siricha to the rice mixture or if the kimchi is spicy hold off on this.
- Using the bamboo roller, fold one of the edges over and gradually begin the process of rolling the nori roll. Keep your hands wet to prevent the contents from sticking to you.
- Once the roll is compact (sometimes i will push the roll backwards as i go – I think I'll do a video in the future) it is ready to be sliced. (check this out HOW TO MAKE SUSHI for now. Using a very sharp knife that has been dipped in water, begin slicing the rolls into the desired width. If it is a thick roll, thinner is easier and if it is a thinner roll, then thicker slices can apply.
- Serve with soy suace and wasabi and enjoy~
May your time with the plants be an adventure!
xo,
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I wonder about how I would try these with other fermented foods. Have you tried this before?
That is a great idea… I have used all kinds of fermented foods to go inside the rolls. Right now, I have some fermented carrots that I would use. You could also use any type of fermented cabbage – some have seaweed in them which is also a good option.
xo,
Dr. Siri Chand