Eeekk, its been far too long since my last entry! And I'm still without a proper camera - so these blurry grainy mobile phone pics will have to do. As you may have already guessed, sushi was on the menu at the weekend, and despite being a big fan of Japanese culture, I've never really succeeded in making proper sushi... Until now!
Okay, so I had the help of some sushi masters. We even had a rice cooker to cook the rice to perfection! There were all sorts of fillings, ranging from the traditional avocado and pepper, to the more unusual tofu and grapes! I cooked up some tempeh with a bit of homemade tofu dip, which made quite a juicy filling. The recipe came from the "Spicy Tempeh Rolls", in my newly acquired copy of Veganomicon!
To go with all the sushi, one of the guys cooked up a giant pan of Soba noodles. These are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat, traditionally served cold with a dipping sauce, so that's how we had 'em. The plate on the bottom right was a bit of an imposter, and was actually a Korean dish called Kimchi, a kind of spicy fermented cabbage (Korea's version of Sauerkraut), and was tasty, although a bit too salty for me. Also from my new cookbook, I grilled some asian-style marinated tofu, which turned out really well, even though the smoke alarm disagreed.
And there were plenty of leftovers, so for work the next day, I got to show-off with an extremely colourful lunchbox. I was certainly the envy of my team that day!
9 comments:
I have sushi envy!
Ooh I know what that means ;o). I need to practice my Japanese more often!
I've never made sushi-- I think I need to. Mmmm but I love soba noodles.
I've had vegan sushi, but I would call tempeh rolls super-excellent-vegan sushi, which I have never had. Looks excellent! And soba noodles are very dear to my heart too. It sounds so fun to collaborate with sushi masters!
Sooo seitan is definitely not as filling or nutritious as beans... While it is a little salty, I don't think it's nutritionally void. If you add nutritonal yeast to it, you're getting a dose of vitamin B-12 every time you eat it, and it does have a lot of protein. But I guess that's all the nutritional convincing I can come up with, haha. I would not even want to try making it the traditional way, so I guess you'll have to make your way over to the U.S. if you eventually are convinced you need some seitan!
Wow, everything looks fantastic! I love Japanese food and these sushi rolls sound like something I'd love. I like the look of your soba noodles, too.
Thanks for the suggestion re: mint--I've never had a mojito, so I think that is something I will HAVE to try this summer!! :)
Thanks for your suggestions on cooking delicious Indian food, I'll definitely have to go and buy some of those coriander seeds you talked about.
Everything looks delicious! Japanese food is also a favorite of mine :)
Hey Russ,
Thanks for all the comments on my blog. It's great to hear from you again :o).
Oh, and as for my cupcakery idea... yeah, I agree with you that it probably wouldn't be very profitable to start up a vegan cupcakery. Maybe I should just get a summer job decorating cupcakes somewhere ;o).
Ooh, sushi is my favorite! I looks so delicious!
Coincidentally, I just made a batch of makinori this past week for my daughter's visit.
The only trouble with making sushi for 2 is that there are bound to be leftovers, which tend to lose flavour in the refrigerator. I found an alternative that is pretty good, although it should also be eaten as soon as possible. Mix all the leftover fillings, (chopping up a bit if necessary) into the leftover rice, add some toasted sesame seeds and a small slosh of soy sauce/tamari, salt and pepper or any other flavourings you like and roll them into fat balls. Wrap them with just a narrow strip of nori around the center (you can cut a bigger piece) to make onigiri, rice balls. Press inward all around with your palms to firm them up. If the rice is sticky, wet your hands first.
These kinds of balls are quite popular as take-out food in Japanese convenience stores and supermarkets. They are perfect for aa quick lunch or snack. If you want to transport them you can wrap them in waxed paper.
wheeee!suuuusssshiiiii!!!! i love it, either homemade or out and about. ok, when i´m eating out, sushi is in the most cases vegan... where exactly are u in the uk?
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