You can make this vegan classic sushi rolls with simple ingredients and also No sushi roll mat required! You can use cooking foil instead☻ Nori is one of the main ingredients for sushi rolls, which you can purchase at major supermarkets or Chinese shops. The rice must be sushi rice or Japanese rice as it’s sticky and holds the sushi rolls together nicely. 
I make this vegan classic sushi rolls occasionally, perhaps 3 or 4 times a year. In Japan, most of people eat sushi on special occasions such as a birthday or other celebrations. As a kid I enjoyed sushi on the new years day and when we had our relatives visited us. In Japan, I had never made sushi and I didn’t know anyone who made sushi. For me it was special food that we eat in a restaurant or delivered from them.
When I tasted cucumber sushi rolls at someone’s house party in London years ago, I was amazed at how nice it was. I was even more amazed when the lady who made the sushi told me how she made it. Rolling with cooking foil?? I made my first homemade sushi rolls many years ago following the lady’s instructions with cooking foil. It was a great success and I always follow the same methods using foil, sometimes cling film ever since!
The ingredients for this sushi roll recipe are shown below on the image.
You need:
- Sushi rice
- Nori
- Cucumber
- Vegan cheese
- Avocado
- Black olives
- Red bell pepper
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar and slat.
Traditionally we use rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar is what I had and it works fine. For the fillings, you can choose your own ones if you don’t have the same as these.
Ideas for fillings
- baked tofu
- baked or fried mush rooms
- Natto (fermented Japanese beans)
- spinach
- carrot
The process of sushi making is very simple but it takes quite long time to prepare but it’s totally worth it! You will smile when you have your first homemade sushi rolls, I guarantee you☻ Once you get a knack of it you will find it easier. I recommend that you have plenty of time to make sushi, maybe on Friday or at the weekend.
This vegan classic sushi rolls are perfect to serve at dinner party or on special occasions. You will definitely get a good compliment from your family and friends☺
Vegan Classic Sushi Rolls
Ingredients
For the sushi rice
- 350 g Sushi rice or Japanese rice
- water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the fillings
- 1/4 large cucumber cut into sticks
- 50 g vegan cheese cut into sticks
- 1/4 red bell pepper cut into strips
- 1/2 large avocado cut into sticks
- 6 black olives flattened with a spoon
For rolling
- 8 sheets nori
- water
Instructions
To make the sushi rice
- In a stock pot, wash the rice thoroughly with cold water until you see the water becomes clear. Cook the rice according to the instructions at the back of the package. *Or put your hand on top of the rice and pour cold water until it covers your fingers. **Put the pot on the cooker bring to boil then turn it down to the lowest heat, leave to simmer with a lid until the water evaporates completely.*** Leave with a lid for 15 minutes.
- Stir the rice roughly with a wet spoon. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar and the salt together. Pour the mixture over the rice as you stir the rice. Keep string for 30 seconds until mixed properly. Transfer to a ceramic bowl (this will help the rice to cool quicker) Leave to cool.
To prepare the fillings
- Cut the each filling ingredient (except the olives) into sticks and strips so that it will fit inside the sushi rolls nicely. Flatten the olives at the back of a spoon. Set aside until you need them.
To roll the sushi
- Place a cooking foil that is a little bit bigger than a sheet of nori on the table in front of you.
- Place a bowl of water, a spoon, sheets of nori, the rice in the bowl around the foil so that you can reach them easily.
- ****Place a nori sheet on the foil and put some rice with a wet spoon and spread over the nori, just cover a little more than half of the nori. Do not cover the entire of the nori, otherwise you will not be able to roll. Put the fillings on the rice. I put 2 cucumber sticks to cover the entire length.
- Slowly roll up the edge of the foil to roll. *****When you do one roll press with your hand so that the rice will stick together under the nori and then pull the edge of the foil back gently. Do the second roll, press and then pull it back again.
- Repeat this until you finish rolling. Before the last roll, put some water over the edge of the nori then roll. The water helps the nori to stick together. You have 8 sheets of nori so repeat the process until you finish all of the nori so that you have 8 long rolls of sushi.
- Slice the sushi rolls on a chopping board or a plate with a kitchen knife. I like using a bread knife. You may need to wash the knife sometimes to get rid of the stickiness. I washed probably 4 or 5 times during this process.
- Serve the sushi rolls with some soy sauce and wasabi (optional). The leftovers can be store in an air tight container until next day.
